Blog - Page 7 of 30 - Gary David Gillen

Western Reserve Writers Conference 2022

Introduction

I attended the 37^th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on March 26, 2022. They held the Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the William N. Skirball writer’s center at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one first-page critique panel.

This is the link to the Cuyahoga County Library.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

This is the link to the writer’s center at the library branch.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Services/William-N-Skirball-Writers-Center.aspx

Summary

Saturday, March 26th at 9:30 AM

Welcome and Conference Overview

Deanna R. Adams is the conference coordinator and Laurie Kincer is the librarian in charge of the writer’s center.

Laurie explained how they set up the library, where the three meeting rooms were located, and about the door prizes available at 4 PM. Deanna introduced the keynote speaker, Erin Hosier.

They held the welcome and conference overview in the meeting room A/B/C with about 90 attendees.

Saturday, March 26th at 9:40 AM

Keynote Speaker: The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Literary Agents.

The keynote speaker was Erin Hosier. She is a veteran agent and author.

Erin specializes in representing non-fiction biographies, memoirs, and contemporary fiction. She gave an example of one of the books that she sold from submission to publication. Self Care by Leigh Stein is a contemporary fiction novel. It was pitched to 25 editors in March 2019. 23 responded and they held an auction three weeks later. The winner was Penguin books which published the novel on June 30, 2020.

In a Query Letter, it is important to get the comp titles correct and make them recently published.

She went over the steps for a book proposal for non-fiction works.

An editor accepted her proposal for her memoir, Don’t Let me Down: A Memoir. It took her seven years to write it.

She gets about 50 proposals a month and accepts about five per year.

They held the talk in the meeting room A/B/C with about 90 attendees.

Saturday, March 26th at 10:30 AM

Breakout Session: What Authors Should Know About the Law: Publishing Law 101.

The presenter was Jacqueline Lipton. She is a literary attorney and literary agent.

Jacqui wanted to write a book about explaining legal matters simply for writers because that book was not on the market.

She went over copywriting basics.

Trademarks are a tricky concept. She explained it this way. Trademarks (commercial) versus patent (ideas) versus Copywrite (also ideas).

Goodreads link to Jacqui’s book: Law and Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51852533-law-and-authors

Jacqui is the founder of the Raven Quill Agency found at this web address.

Home

They held the talk in the meeting room A/B/C with about 40 attendees.

Saturday, March 26th at 3:00 PM

Breakout Session: Writing and Submitting Short Stories.

The presenter was Marie Vibbert. She has sold over 70 short stories and her debut novel, Galactic Hellcats.

What is a short story? She describes it this way. It is a complete story of about one thousand to eight thousand words. A short story is enjoyable and impacts the reader emotionally. It has at least four ideas covering character, place, a problem, and a theme.

Her advice is to know and read in your genre. Every genre has its own conventions which you learn by reading. She writes science fiction almost exclusively. Fantasy doesn’t work for her.

Beginnings are crucial. Figure out the beginning of the story to fit with the ending.

So, you have a draft. What now? Here are three ways to find markets to sell.

For Science Fiction stories, you can submit them to any of the SFWA qualifying markets.

https://www.sfwa.org/?s=market+report

Qualified markets pay a professional rate.

Use the submission grinder to track your submissions.

https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/ Use an open call in a Facebook Group.

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Galactic Hellcats.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53388150-galactic-hellcats

They held the talk at the Homework Center with about 30 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

The Western Reserve Writers Conference 2022 returned well. I attended the conference in 2019, but they canceled the conference in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19. I’m glad they held the conference, and it seems as well attended as before the pandemic. My Star of the Con was Marie Vibbert. She had some brilliant advice for aspiring short story writers. I saw her speak at the virtual conference, Cleveland Inkubator 2021 and her presentation was great then too.

Links

I attended the 36^th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on April 27, 2019. They held the Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the William N. Skirball writer’s center at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one first-page critique panel. I attended the introduction, a keynote speaker, and two breakout sessions. I thought The Western Reserve Writers Conference was well run, diverse in the presentations offered, and informative. My Star of the Con was Bree Barton. Her presentation was fun, the exercises were useful, and I liked her personality.

Western Reserve Writers Conference 2019

I attended the 34^th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on September 23, 2017. I could not attend last year. This is a link to my review of the 2017 conference.

The Western Reserve Writers Conference

Writing Progress Report April 2022

Writing Progress Report April 2022.

This is my Writing Progress Report April 2022.

Here’s a picture of what should be my last fire for the year. Hopefully, April will stay warm.

Writing Progress from March 2021.

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for March 2022, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report March 2022

In March 2022, I submitted Chapter 17 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library.

I submitted my story “Genealogy is a Puzzle” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in March 2022.

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City. It was 99,981 words and 36 chapters. In December 2018, I completed a pre-second draft with 30 chapters. It had 89,072 words. I finished the second draft in December 2019. I started writing a new chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The planned third draft will have 32 Chapters. I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020. I hope to reset the novel and complete the revisions in 2022.

Writing Progress from March 2022 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2022.

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

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have 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 submission for 2022 yet.

Events from March 2022.

I attended the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 26, 2022.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Writing Goals for April 2022.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2022.

I am working on a novel titled Cuba Liberto. The first draft was a script. My plan for the rewrite is 26 Chapters. I plan to complete writing Chapter 18 in April 2022 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In April 2022, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in April 2022.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In April 2022, 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.

Writing Goals for April 2022 continued.

In April 2022, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

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

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

Planned Events for April 2022.

The next event I plan to attend is Ice and Fire Con at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, from April 21 to April 24, 2022. I originally had a ticket for the Ice and Fire Con 2020, but they canceled it because of COVID-19.

This is a link to the Ice and Fire Conference website.

http://www.iceandfirecon.com/

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey (Book #9 of the Expanse Series)

Introduction

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey is the ninth book of The Expanse series. The crew is back on the Rocinante, Jim, Naomi, Alex, and Amos plus a special additional crew member. They start in the Kronos system looking to remain inconspicuous. They dodge the Laconian ship looking for Teresa Duarte, the daughter of the Laconian leader, High Consul Winston Duarte. The Laconian high command sends colonel Aliana Tanaka on an important secret mission. Elvi studies a mysterious object left by the ring gate builders in the Adro system. These three storylines intersect. Can Jim Holden and his crew discover the secret of the ring gate builders and defeat them before they destroy the universe?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey brings the Expanse Series to a fitting and exciting conclusion. Elvi learns what she has been searching for. Alex gets his moment in the sun. Holden gets to have his grandstand experience. Naomi keeps it together because that’s her and she must. And Amos has the last word. They touched all the points on in this last book of the series. It’s been a long and worthwhile ride. I wish the TV show had been around long enough to adapt the last three novels of the series. Maybe someday they will.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335699-leviathan-falls

In Tiamat’s Wrath by James S.A. Corey, James Holden and his crew strike back at the Laconians. Will they succeed or will the Laconians start a thousand-year Empire?

Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey

In Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, the Laconians plan to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Laconians? It starts a new trilogy. Great beginning to the Laconian storyline.

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

In Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey, the Free Navy is trying to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Free Navy? Great conclusion to the Free Navy storyline.

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

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

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan, Book Seven of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan is the seventh book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows nine main points of view and many short alternate points of view. The prologue deals with the aftermath of the situation at Dumai Wells from the ending of the previous novel, The Lord of Chaos. Perrin observes Rand at Dumai Wells and accompanies him back to Cairhein and they meet up with Min. Egwene takes her rebel Aes Sedai forces toward Caemlyn on their way to besiege Tar Valon. Nynaeve, Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat search for the Bowl of the Winds in Ebor Dar. Morgase learns more about the situation with the Children of Light. When Rand forces the hand of one of the Forsaken, will the Forsaken defeat him or will he earn a Crown of Swords?

Summary – Prologue

The prologue of the novel covers six different points of view.

Elaida is in Tar Valon. She gets reports about Rand’s situation and the situation in Ebou Dar. She sends Alviarin to enact her plan to deal with the Black Tower. Eladia thinks about how she will break Egwene’s army.

Sevanna of the Shaido clan of the Aiel is at Dumai Wells during the events from the end of the previous novel. This is an alternate viewpoint and flashback scene.

Alviaran leaves Elaida in Tar Valon and confers with Mesaana, the Forsaken. They talk about the Black Tower plan’s likelihood of success.

Pedran Niall of the Whitecloaks is in Amador with Morgase Trakand. She is trying to get his backing for Andor. Omerna arrives and Morgase leaves.

Eamon Vlada of the Whitecloaks is also in Amador. He puts plans in motion.

Gawyn Trakand is also at Dumai Wells and gives an alternate viewpoint to the White Tower Loyalists. He leads his group of Younglings in the retreat back to Tar Valon.

Summary–Groups of characters

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan follows five plot arcs.

Perrin comes back from Dumai Wells and goes to Cairhein to meet with Rand and Min. Perrin makes sure that Faile is alright. Rand has a special mission for Perrin.

Egwene brings her army that she wants to use to capture Tar Valon to the border between Altara and Murandy. She must find a way to gain strength and get through Murandy to get to Tar Valon.

Mat was sent to Enou Dar by Rand to get Elayne to go to Andor to take the throne of Andor. He is not very successful in that quest. He agrees to help Elayne and Nynaeve find a cache of powerful artifacts that may help the forces of Light in their battle with the darkness. Meanwhile, Mat must deal with the sexual advances of Queen Tylin of Altara.

Elayne and Nynaeve enlist the aid of the Kin and Matt to find the artifacts hidden in Ebou Dar.

Rand must deal with the situation in Cairhein. He comes up with a way to strike back at the Forsaken.

Summary–Best Plot Points

Three Plot Points stand out in Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan.

In Chapter 31, Mashiara, Lan, and Nynaeve have a long-delayed and important meeting.

Mat showcases his awesomeness in Chapter 38, Six Stories. An important artifact is found and a powerful enemy is encountered.

In the novel’s last chapter, Chapter 41, a Crown of Swords, Rand’s plans come to fruition. It’s worth the effort to get to this point and an iconic image is delivered at the end of the chapter.

Recommendation

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan ends with a series of climaxes that match the other novels of the series. Three plot points stand out for me. Lan’s meeting with Nynaeve, what Mat finds in addition to the Bowl of the Winds, and Rand’s encounter with a Forsaken. There are two plot points I’m having trouble with. The Morgase subplot is short but takes up valuable space from the other plots. The relationship between Mat and Tylin seems icky at best. Otherwise, this novel fits well with the rest of the series for me.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13890.A_Crown_of_Swords

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 March 2022

Writing Progress Report March 2022.

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2022.

I hiked the Ledges Area Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Ledges Trail is in Boston Township, Ohio. I took this picture from the Ledges Overlook.

Writing Progress from February 2021.

I wrote four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for February 2022, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report February 2022

In February 2022, I submitted Chapter 16 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I submitted my story “The Erebus Project” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in February 2022.

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City. It had 99,981 words and 36 chapters. In December 2018, I completed a pre-second draft with 30 chapters. It had 89,072 words. I finished the second draft in December 2019. I started writing a new chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The planned third draft will have 32 Chapters. I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020. I hope to reset the novel and complete the revisions in 2022.

Writing Progress from February 2022 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2022.

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

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

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submission for 2022 yet.

Events from February 2022.

The next 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 26, 2022.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Writing Goals for March 2022.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2022.

I am working on a novel titled Cuba Liberto. The first draft was a script. My plan for the rewrite is 26 Chapters. I plan to complete writing Chapter 17 in March 2022 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In March 2022, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in March 2022.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In March 2022, 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.

Writing Goals for March 2022 continued.

In March 2022, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

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

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

Planned Events for March 2022.

The next 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 26, 2022.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Another event I would like to attend is Ice and Fire Con at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, from April 21 to April 24, 2022. I originally had a ticket for the 2020 Ice and Fire Con but they canceled it because of COVID-19.

This is a link to the Ice and Fire Conference website.

http://www.iceandfirecon.com/

Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold

Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #6 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold is the sixth published novel of the Vorkosigan saga. It is also the eighth story of the internal chronology of the saga. Miles Vorkosigan is the protagonist of the novel. Miles suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. He graduates from the Service Academy and gets his first assignment as a commissioned ensign. He wanted to get ship duty to follow in his father’s footsteps, but his commander wants him to command ordinary men. The posting is out of the way and boring for him. He gets in trouble anyway and they accuse him of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

Summary

The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold begins when Miles Vorkosigan graduates from the Barayarran Service Academy. He wants a posting in an interstellar spaceship where he can command men. What he gets is an assignment to replace the weatherman at the remote base on Kyril Island. He sees the posting as a boring assignment beneath his dignity. It becomes a test of his resolve and cunning.

Miles ends up charged with treason and imprisoned in IMPSEC. His fortunes are turned, and he gets an assignment to evaluate the Hengan Hub. He discovers Emperor Gregor which changes everything. Miles must deal with a plot instigated at Kyril Island, match wits with a female mercenary leader whom he fancies, and protect Emperor Gregor from himself, meanwhile defeating the approaching Cetagandan fleet.

Mile juggles these impossible tasks in a way only he could succeed through and saves the day.

Recommendation

The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1991. They printed the first six chapters of the novel as the short story, The Weatherman, covering the first part of the story when they stationed Miles at Kyril Island. The rest of the story detailed how Miles helped Emperor Gregor get out of trouble in a manner only Miles would try. I like Miles and want him to succeed. I like he met his match in the mystery mercenary leader, and how she intrigued him. I’m looking forward to reading Miles’s next adventure in my Vorkosigan saga reading project.

Links

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

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68483.The_Vor_Game

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 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 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

Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie, Age of Madness Trilogy Book #3

Introduction

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie is the third book of the Age of Madness Trilogy, a follow-up trilogy of the First Law World Trilogy. The Trilogy occurs thirty years after the First Law Trilogy. This Trilogy follows an additional set of characters; some are the children of characters from the First Law books. First Law characters also appear in secondary roles in this series. At the end of The Trouble with Peace, the second book of the Age of Madness Trilogy, they defeated a rebellion, but all is not well in the Union. Will the wisdom of crowds start a revolution and bring down the Union once and for all?

Summary – Part One

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie features seven points of view characters from both sides of the Angland and Midderland conflicts. The characters meet and part in this complex narrative which concludes the plot arcs of this generation of characters.

Orso dan Luthar, the first character, is the King of the Union. He is coming back to Adua after his great victory on the battlefield. But the Change has come to the Union, and he must find his place in it or die.

Savine dan Glokta, the second character, is the daughter of Sand dan Glokta, the head of the King’s Closed Council and the head of the Inquisition. Her money and her power are gone and she must find a new way to live.

Leo dan Brock, the third character, has lost his chance for greatness, his dignity, and his health. He must reinvent himself to continue.

Summary – Part Two

Victarine (Vic) dan Teufel, the fourth character, was an undercover agent for the Inquisition of the Union. Her mission has taken her to the city of Valbeck which has fallen to the People’s Army. The Great Change is headed for Adua. She must discover Superior Pike’s role in The Great Change and decide what is the best plan for her future.

Gunner “Bull” Broad, the fifth character, worked for Savine dan Glotka. He had helped Savine in Valbeck and she was grateful, so she employed him. His conflict is with the sort of tasks that Savine requires him to perform. Now he is imprisoned for his crimes and despairs about ever returning to his family. The Great Change will change his fortunes and he must make a difficult decision to achieve his goals.

Rikke, the sixth character, is the Dogman’s daughter. The Dogman was the chieftain of the city of Uffrith and leader of the Protectorate, Angland’s ally in the North. Rikke inherited his leadership. She has the Long Eye, a way of seeing images from the past or the future. She must come to terms with her gift or face going insane like many with the gift have done so before her. Rikke defeated Stour Nightfall, King of the North, and holds his seat at Carleon. She must find a way to hold onto her power or face destruction.

Jonas “Clover” Steepfield, the seventh character, was the advisor of Stour Nightfall, the King of the North. Clover was once a famous warrior but is now an observer of the Northmen’s court. He now serves Rikke and must decide what is the best course for his future.

Recommendation

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie concludes the Age of Madness Trilogy well. The action builds and the plot shifts land hard. Most chapters follow either a single viewpoint or two sequential viewpoints of the seven main characters.

The two exceptions are the chapter titled The Little People, where a series of people react to a devastating event in Adua. And a chapter also titled The Little People, where a series of people react to the climactic battle in Carleon, the capital of the North. In the Carleon chapter, one character observes and then encounters the next character, and then that character takes on the narrative. It continues in the chapter, creating a kaleidoscope where the events build to a greater whole.

Those chapters were my highlight of the book. It was a brilliant book. I liked the love triangle arc of Leo, Savine, and Orso. I wanted more and hope the author will return to this setting in the future.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie, Age of Madness Series Book #3

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56621190-the-wisdom-of-crowds

This is the link to my book review of The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie, Age of Madness Series Book #2

Peace comes after the wars in the previous novel. Intrigues occur. Will the peace prove more deadly than the wars that came before?

Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie

This is the link to my book review of A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie, Age of Madness Series Book #1

Northmen invade Angland, the northern province of the Union. The Industrial Revolution arrived in the Union and civil unrest increased following unfair labor practices. The city of Valbeck is the center of the unrest. It features seven characters from both sides of the conflict. Will they destroy Angland and Valbeck, or will they survive?

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

ConFusion Detroit 2022 Conference Recap

Introduction

I attended the SF conference named ConFusion at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 21, 2022, to January 23, 2020. ConFusion Detroit 2020 was the last in-person con I attended. I have attended only virtual cons in the last two years. ConFusion 2022 was my next in-person con after that.The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsored ConFusion Detroit 2022. I attended the opening ceremonies, three panels, two lectures, one reading, and one interview. This year’s theme was rising confusion. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the con returned from a two-year absence.

This is a link to the ConFusion website.

http://confusionsf.org/

The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.

The 2022 Logo for ConFusion Detroit 2022.

ConFusion Detroit 2022 Program Guide Cover

This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2022.

Summary

ConFusion Detroit 2022 Conference Recap

Friday, January 21st at 7 PM

Rising Confusion Opening Ceremonies with Jim C. Hines, Dr. Jordan Steckloff, Rachael Quinlan, and Anna Carey:

[insert discussion here]

They held the opening ceremonies in Ballroom D with about 60 attendees.

Saturday, January 22nd at 11 AM

Panel on the Wheel of Time Geekfest with presenter E.D.E. Bell:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel in the Marquette room with 4 attendees.

Saturday, January 22nd at 2 PM

Reading with Author Guest of Honor Jim C. Hines:

[insert discussion here]

They held the reading at Ballroom D with 18 attendees.

Saturday, January 22nd at 3 PM

Lecture with Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff, the Risks of Space-Borne Pathogens:

[insert discussion here]

They held the lecture at Ballroom D with 35 attendees.

Saturday, January 22nd at 5 PM

Panel on Space Station in Sci-Fi with Jason Sanford, Anthony W. Eichenlaub, and Patrick S. Tomlinson:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel at the Marquette room with 16 attendees.

Saturday, January 22nd at 6 PM

Black Gate interview with Author Guest of Honor Jim C. Hines:

[insert discussion here]

They interviewed at the Marquette room with 16 attendees.

Sunday, January 23rd at 12 PM

Lecture with Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff, Apocalyptic Impacts in Reality and Hollywood:

[insert discussion here]

They held the lecture at Ballroom D with 16 attendees.

Sunday, January 23rd at 1 PM

Panel on The Expanse with Dennis Tabaczewski, Dr. Jordan Steckloff, and D. Mark Haynes:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel in the Marquette room with 9 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

The last in-person conference I attended before Confusion Detroit 2022 was Confusion Detroit 2020. They canceled the con in 2021. They held it in the same place in 2022, with strict masks and vaccination policies in effect. I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. I have two stars of the con. Author Guest of Honor Jim C. Hines gave a spirited reading of his short story, The Creature in Your Neighborhood, and an insightful interview by Black Gate Magazine. My other star of the con was Dr. Jordan Steckloff for the two lectures and the panel I attended he participated in.

Links

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 February 2022

Writing Progress Report February 2022.

This is my Writing Progress Report February 2022.

It rained all day today. The raindrops froze on the trees at night. Then it snowed.

Writing Progress from January 2021.

I wrote two blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my writing progress report for January 2022, linked below.

Writing Progress Report January 2022

In January 2022, the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, skipped this month’s meeting.

I submitted my story “The Case of the Reluctant Pawnbroker” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library on January 2022.

I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City in July 2018. It had 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018. It had 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019, which completed the second draft edit. I started writing a new chapter 1 on February 2020. Finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters. I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 on July 2020. I hope to reset the novel and complete the revisions in 2022.

Writing Progress from January 2022 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account on January 2022.

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.

Events from January 2022.

I attended ConFusion Detroit on January 2022. ConFusion Detroit 2020 was the last in-person con I attended. I have attended only virtual cons in the last two years. ConFusion 2022 was my next in-person con.

I attended ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 21, 2022, to January 23, 2022. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

http://confusionsf.org/

The following picture is from the ConFusion 2020 notice.

This is the phoenix logo for Rising ConFusion, rising out of the ashes of COVID-19.

Writing Goals for February 2022.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for February 2022.

The title of the novel I am working on is Cuba Liberto. The first draft of the piece was a screenplay. My plan for the rewrite is 26 Chapters. I plan to complete writing Chapter 16 in February 2022 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library. (The group is skipping having a meeting in January 2022.)

On February 2022, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop on February 2022.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. On February 2022, I plan to complete third draft edits for renumbered Chapters 3 and 4.

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.

Writing Goals for February 2022 continued.

On February 2022, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

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

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

Planned Events for February 2022.

The next event I would like 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 26, 2022.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Another event I would like to attend is Ice and Fire Con at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, from April 21 to April 24, 2022. I originally had a ticket for the 2020 Con but they canceled it because of COVID-19.

This is a link to the Ice and Fire Conference website.

http://www.iceandfirecon.com/

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Introduction

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is the author’s most recent novel. Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship flying to a destination unknown. He has no memory of his past, of why he is on this interstellar mission, or why his crewmates are dead. He must discover the nature of his mission. If Ryland doesn’t solve these problems, the human race will perish.

Summary

In Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Ryland Grace wakes up to a feminine computer voice. They hooked him up to monitors, and he was tired, so he goes back to sleep. They locked him in a room with two more patients who are dead in their hammocks. Ryland doesn’t remember his name or where he is located.

Ryland tries to get up, and the trauma causes a flashback. In the flashback, he gets an email from a Russian scientist urging him to help her with a problem involving an unusual IR emission headed toward Venus. He drops out of the flashback.

Ryland discovers they connected his chamber to a laboratory. He examines the equipment and performs tests that convince him he is not on Planet Earth.

Ryland must put these revelations together to understand his mission. His life and all the lives of the people on Planet Earth depend on him solving the problems put before him.

Recommendation

I thought this was a great novel. Ryland Grace was an engaging, smart, and resourceful character. He used the resources available to him to try and solve a difficult problem. I was surprised and pleased when the story turned from a problem-solving story to a story about first contact. I thought the ending fit the character and was happy with how it turned out.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary

My book review of Artemis by Andy Weir. Jazz, a poor smuggler & thief on the moon colony of Artemis, dreams of being rich. A little sabotage and she can retire with a million slugs. She must improvise or face death. How can she survive and get her money too?

Artemis by Andy Weir