Month: September 2020

Dragon Con Atlanta 2020

Dragon Con Atlanta 2020

Conference Recap Dragon Con Atlanta 2020

Introduction

They held Dragon Con Atlanta 2020 from September 3 to 7, 2020. This year with Covid-19, it was a virtual conference. I viewed 5 panels, 1 interview, and 2 Dragon Con updates. Three tracks could be viewed at the same time for 24 hours a day from 6:30 PM Thursday to 3:30 PM Monday. The tracks were the main track, a fan track, and a classic track (replays of taped panels from 2008 to 2019). It was a great opportunity for me because Atlanta is far away from me, and I am not likely to attend this con in person.

The Logo for Dragon Con Atlanta 2020.

Dragon Con Atlanta 2020

This is a link to Dragon Con’s website.

https://www.dragoncon.org/

Summary

Friday, September 4th, at 11 PM

Games of Thrones panel from 2015 on the Classic Track:

The panel’s moderator was Marc Lee. The panelists were actors from the Game of Thrones show Kristian Nairn (Hodor), Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell), and Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle).

Kristian talked about filming in Iceland, Finn talked about performing a gay scene on his first day of shooting, and Julian talked about always playing the villain in movies, so he was never in the sequels.

I thought it was a fun panel and the panelists were engaging.

Saturday, September 5th, at 1 PM

John Scalzi: Tour of an Author’s Life (and Kitchen), an interview with John Scalzi on the Main Track:

This was a taped interview by Brian Robertson of author John Scalzi. He interviewed Scalzi by remote from each of their homes. The interview was done in three parts.

First, John Scalzi talked about his career in his office. He started as a journalist and posted his work in progress on his blog. That novel was Old Man’s War and the success of that book launched his career as a novelist. He considers it an accidental career.

The second part of the interview was from John Scalzi’s basement. He keeps his musical instruments down there. Playing music is a release for him between writing.

The last part of the interview was from John Scalzi’s kitchen. He enjoys making burritos with anything goes. The burrito he made here featured two-day-old lasagna and parmesan dip. He finished the interview mentioning that his latest novel was nominated for the Dragon Award for Science Fiction Novel.

John Scalzi’s latest novel is The Last Emperox. It is the third and final book of the Interdependency Trilogy and was released on April 14, 2020. This is the link to the Goodreads page.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38322550-the-last-emperox

The panel started with 298 attendees, increased to 335 attendees at 1:10 PM, and ended with 361 attendees at the end of the interview.

I thought it was a great interview. I’ve seen John Scalzi many times and he is always interesting and engaging.

Saturday, September 5th, at 5 PM

Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey panel from 2008 on the Classic Track:

The beginning of the panel was Todd interviewing his mother Anne and the rest of the panel was questions from the audience. She said she got inspired to write because she needed money for her three small kids at home. Anne wrote the Dragonriders of Pern series which became more popular with the success of Harry Potter.

She said that sometimes it is the names that inspire the story other times it is the characters. Geology fascinated her and cartography was important to her novels. She moved to Ireland and horses were important to her. At one point he owned 23 horses.

It was interesting to see this panel from 2008. Anne McCaffrey is one of my favorite authors.

The panel started with 208 attendees.

Sunday, September 6th, at 3 PM

Perseverance – Mars 2020 panel with Dr. Sarah Milkovich and Kim Steadman on the Fan Track:

This was a slideshow presentation with two engineers of the surface operation for the Perseverance rover that launched to Mars on July 30, 2020. The presentation was filmed on July 31, 2020. They plan to land the probe at Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. It was built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology. The mission is to seek signs of ancient life at an ancient river delta.

The engineers discussed the instruments on the rover. The rover will take readings and collect 30 samples at various locations. A second mission will collect the samples and launch them to orbit. A third mission will collect the samples and return them to earth.

These are links to the mission briefing on the JPL website and the NASA website.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance-rover/

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

This is a projected photo of the rover on Mars.

I thought it was a great presentation. I hope the rover has a safe landing next year.

Sunday, September 6th, at 6 PM

The 2020 Dragon Awards announced by Cooper Andrews on the Main Track:

The 2020 Dragon Awards were announced. There are 15 categories including gaming, literature, and visual medium. There were nominees in each category and the winners were announced in this half-hour presentation. The last award was for the Science Fiction novel. John Scalzi, the writing Guest of Honor, won for his novel The Last Emperox.

Sunday, September 6th, at 6:30 PM

The Dragon Con Update with Will and Bee:

Will and Bee interviewed Leigh and Jon. Leigh and Jon conduct interviews of the leaders of different tracks at the conference. They want to bring attention to the behind the scenes people at the con. They post the interviews at the unique geek.

https://theuniquegeek.com/

The Dragon Con update finished with a heck with Beth about the Fan Interactions Report. She showed pictures from four hashtags that they used.

Monday, September 6th, at 9 AM

Award-Winning and Best-selling Authors panel on the Fan Track:

Bill Fawcett was the Moderator of the panel. The panel was Tasmin Silver (writes urban fantasy and historical fantasy), Robert Sawyer (his most recent novel is the alternate history, The Oppenheimer Alternative), Jody Lynn Nye (wrote in the Myth Adventures series and co-wrote with Anne McCaffery), and John Scalzi (Dragon Con Writing Guest of Honor and winner of the Dragon Award for Science Fiction Novel, for the Last Emperox).

Bill asked the panel a series of questions. The main point was what makes a novel an award winner versus a best-seller. Robert’s answer was a best seller needs a likable protagonist while an award winner might have an unlikeable protagonist. John answered that best-sellers are marketable books with the goal to entertain, while award winners have a bold view and are written for writers.

Other questions included are best sellers a product of the time they are read, social media advice, and advice for new writers.

I thought that all four writers gave insightful answers to the moderator’s questions. I wish the had more time to talk.

Monday, September 6th, at 1 PM

Let’s Build a World panel on the Fan Track:

Michael G. Williams was the Moderator of the panel. The panel was Cecilia Dominic (writes urban fantasy and steampunk), Charles E. Gannon (writes hard SF and Alternate history), and Chris Kennedy (SF author, publisher, and editor).

The panel was about how writers build their worlds. The first question was about how the authors created their setting. The second question was about the most important decision to make in world-building. What do you most hate about world-building? Is it characters first or later when you are designing a setting? Is believability important to you?

They played an exercise on world-building picking four answers to important questions. They picked religion (ancestor worship that is not based on reality), family (with gender fluidity), social conformity (the worst thing to them is to be shunned), and tech (low tech).

I thought the plan was interesting especially how the writers completed the world-building exercise.

Recommendation – Conclusion

Virtual Dragon Con Atlanta 2020 was a great experience. Viewing the virtual con was nice since I would not have made it to Atlanta this year. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I checked out a few presentations Friday evening to see how it was. Before the Game of Thrones panel, I looked at the end of Improvised Dungeons and Dragons. The panelists took a humorous take on a random D & D game. What I saw was funny. I wish I had seen the whole panel. My star of the con was John Scalzi. Other highlights were the Let’s Build a World panel and the Mars 2020 presentation. I hope to attend Dragon Con sometime in the future.

Links

This is my post for a similar conference that I attended in person in January 2020.

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

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, Book #3 of the Imperial Radch series

Introduction

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie is the third book of the Imperial Radch series and the last book of the original trilogy. The Lord of the Radch Anaader Mianaai, appoints Breq as Fleet Captain. Breq’s mission is to secure the Athoek system for the Lord’s side in the civil war that threatens the Radch, Breq solved the mystery related to disappearing Athoek transportees. Can Breq secure the system or will Breq lose the system to Anaader’s rival?

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

Summary – Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie is about Breq, who was once the starship Justice of Toren a thousand years ago but is now limited to one body, an ancillary. Breq confronted Anaader Mianaai, the Lord of the Radch in the novel Ancillary Justice. Afterward, the Lord appoints Breq as Fleet Captain and assigns Breq to the ship, Mercy of Kalr. Breq’s mission is to secure the Athoek system for the Lord’s side in the civil war that threatens the Radch. Breq’s senior Lieutenant on the Mercy of Kalr is Seivarden Vendaai, who assisted Breq in the novel Ancillary Justice.

In Ancillary Sword, Breq takes over the Athoek Station, a space station orbiting the system’s habitable planet. Breq found Basnaaid, who is a horticulturist in the garden area of the station. She is the sister of Lieutenant Awn, someone who Breq loved but was unavoidably killed by Breq and Breq tries to make amends with her. Breq learns of the deplorable conditions in a part of the station called the Undergarden. Breq discovers a plot related to disappearing Athoek transportees. A death complicates Breq’s investigation and Breq goes to the planet’s surface at a tea plantation to continue the investigation. The Athotek overseers exploit the workers. After an assassination plot against Breq is foiled, Breq discovers the leaders of the transportee plot and acts.

Summary – Ancillary Mercy

In Ancillary Mercy, the author resolves the three remaining subplots from Ancillary Sword. Breq resolves the mystery of what was on the other side of the Ghost system wormhole, and the result has an important effect on the civil war. The Presger is a technologically advanced civilization that could impose its will on humanity, but a treaty bounds them. A Presger translator interprets the treaty and Breq must navigate a delicate situation or face the Presger’s wrath. Breq resolves the civil war.

Recommendation

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie resolves the subplots raised in Ancillary Sword. Breq’s mission was vague, go to Athoek and secure it for the Radch. In Ancillary Sword, the author left three subplots unresolved. The subplots involved the Ghost system, the Preger translator, and the civil war. The author examined each subplot and Breq solved each challenge.

I view this trilogy as two unique books. Breq’s single-minded search for vengeance drove Ancillary Justice. Ancillary Sword was the introduction to the themes completed in Ancillary Mercy. The two books were a contemplative study in Breq’s navigation through a series of diplomatic situations. It exemplifies this change in tone by the focus on serving tea and collecting tea sets. The strength of the series is in the ideas of an exploration of the nature of the self, how to relate to oppressed people, and the absence of gender.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23533039-ancillary-mercy

In Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, Breq is on a mission for the Lord of the Radch in the Athoek system. Breq must discover why Athoek transportees are disappearing. Breq risks losing the system to the Lord’s rival to solve the mystery. This is a link to my review.

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

In Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Breq plans her revenge on the Lord of the Radch. Her plans are in jeopardy when Breq befriends the disgraced former Captain Seivarden Vendaai.  Will Breq carry out her goals or will the powerful Lord defeat her? This is a link to my review.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan, Book Five of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan is the fifth book of The Wheel of Time series. Four groups appear in the novel. Rand brings the Aiel clans out of the waste, looking for the false chief of chiefs, and Matt struggles to step out of Rand’s shadow. Nynaeve and Elayne try to avoid attracting the Black Ajah and the Forsaken. Min and Siuan search for the rebel Aes Sedai. Gareth Bryne tracks Min and Siuan down. When the Forsaken drive Rand to desperation, will he be able to control the Fires of Heaven at his disposal or destroy the world?

Fires of Heaven

Summary

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan follows four groups of characters, featuring Rand, Nynaeve, Min, and Gareth Bryne.

The first chapter of the book serves as a prologue, covering three different points of view of the antagonists of this novel.

Rand must track down the false chief of chiefs to establishing himself as the ruler of the Aiel. He brings the Aiel loyal to him out of the waste through the Jangai Pass leading to warfare in Cairhein. Moraine and Egwene face a dilemma involving the Forsaken. Matt tries to leave, but his Ta’veren power leads him to establish his destiny beyond Rand. Rand battles the Forsaken at Cairhein and is hard-pressed to bring down the Fires of Heaven on them when he travels to the realm of dreams, Tel’aran’rhiod.

Nynaeve and Elayne escape Tanchico and plan to report back to the Aes Sedai in Tar Valon, but are thwarted in their attempts. They travel through Amadicia on their way to Ghealdan. They join a circus, meet a prophet, and learn more about Tel’aran’rhiod. Their journey leads to the rebel Aes Sedai and a confrontation with a Forsaken.

Siuan Sanche and Min leave Tar Valon and search for the rebel Aes Sedai. On the way to Andor, they meet Gareth Bryan.

Gareth Bryan becomes enamored with Siuan and searches for her.

Rand’s group reaches their climax at Cairhien and the rest search for the rebel Aes Sedai.

Recommendation

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan is a great novel, but something is missing compared to the previous novel, Shadow Rising. The best storyline from Shadow Rising was Perrin’s triumph in the Two Rivers. Perrin does not appear in this novel, and he is missed.  The Rand and Matt storylines progressed well and their endings were satisfying. It seems like the rest of the storylines were slow going and setting up a big climax in the next novel. I wish something more had happened in this novel. The ending for Nynaeve was good, but a continuation of her interrupted ending for Shadow Rising. The stuff in between at the circus and Samara was interesting but could have been skipped.

The two best parts of the novel were Rand’s battle in Tel’aran’rhiod with a Forsaken and the crazy ending that readers are still debating about even after the end of the series. You will know what I’m talking about after reading one page of the last chapter, Chapter 56, Glowing Embers.

The first season of the Amazon Prime Video will adapt the first novel of the series in 2021. I will be interested to see how the showrunners adapt this novel in a few years.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140975.The_Fires_of_Heaven

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 September 2020

Writing Progress Report September 2020.

This is my Writing Progress Report September 2020.

Fall is Coming!

Fall is Coming!

Writing Progress from August 2020.

I wrote two blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for August 2020 linked below.

Writing Progress Report August 2020.

Updated eight posts on my website to improve their SEO rating to good, to leave 27 posts to update.

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

In August 2020, I submitted Chapter 2 of my novel named Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In August 2020, I submitted the story “Principled Rogue” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Writing Progress from August 2020 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in August 2020.

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

Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted are Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, Space-Dog Confession, Wormhole Generator, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Runs with Scissors to magazines.

I submitted “Sleeping Sickness” to Fireside Magazine in August 2020.

Magazine submissions for 2020 are 6 unique stories submitted 13 times with 0 accepted, 2 pending, and 11 rejections.

Events from August 2020.

Dragon Con Atlanta will be virtual and held from September 3 to 7, 2020. I plan to attend some of the panels. This is a great opportunity for me because Atlanta is far away and I am not likely to attend this con in person.

Link to Dragon Con’s website.

https://www.dragoncon.org/

Writing Goals for September 2020.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for September 2020.

The name of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to write Chapter 3 in September 2020 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In September 2020, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapter 4 in September 2020.

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. Three submissions planned for September 2020.

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 September 2020 continued.

In September 2020, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account and update nine posts on my website to improve their SEO rating up to good leaving 18 posts left to update.

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 September 2020.

Dragon Con Atlanta will be virtual and held from September 3 to 7, 2020. I plan to attend some of the panels. This is a great opportunity for me because Atlanta is far away and I am not likely to attend this con in person.

Link to Dragon Con’s website.

https://www.dragoncon.org/

They canceled Confluence Conference Pittsburgh because of COVID-19. I plan to go to Confluence July 23 to July 25, 2021. They will hold a virtual conference called C’monfluence the Novelization 2020, from October 2 to October 4. The Guest of Honor is Martha Wells. I plan to attend the conference virtually.

Link to Confluence’s website.

http://confluence-sff.org/