On May 28, we went to the AC/DC concert at Huntington Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Everyone was wearing light-up devil horns in honor of Angus Young. Great concert.
Writing Progress from May 2025.
I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for May 2025, which I linked below.
In May 2025, I presented the short story named The Case of the Reluctant Pawnbroker to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in May 2025.
In the past, I sent the stories, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.
Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.
Events from May 2025.
No events in May.
Writing Goals for June 2025.
In June 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for June 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in June 2025.
Eventually, I plan to work on the third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus to other short fiction magazines.
Polish and send the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
In June 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for June 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 25, 2025, to July 27, 2025. They will have the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, (2021 was cancelled due to COVID), 2022, 2023, and 2024.
I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction, at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 17 to 19, 2023. I attended Cleveland Concoction in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. (2020, 2021, and 2022 were canceled due to COVID-19).I attended the opening ceremony, seven panels, three concerts, one performance, the state of the convention meeting, and the closing ceremonies.
Mistakes Beginning Authors Make 1.0, a panel with Linda Robertson Reinhardt, Marcus V. Calvert, J. D. Blackrose, Joelle Presby, and Tory Gates.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 8 attendees.
Friday, March 17 at 3 PM
Animal Sidekicks, a panel with Cassandra Morgan, Addie J. King, Olivia Berrier, James Fadeley, and David F. Balog.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 12 attendees.
Friday, March 17 at 5 PM
The Opening Ceremonies.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 40 attendees.
Friday, March 17 at 6 PM
A Concert by The Harp Twins
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Pegasus Room with 60 attendees.
Friday, March 17 at 8 PM
Flash Fiction, a panel with Olivia Berrier, Weston Kincaide, and Marie Vibbert.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 7 attendees.
Saturday, March 18 at 10 AM
Mistakes Beginning Authors Make 2.0, a panel with Jason R. Lady, Marie Vibbert, James Fadeley, and Clif Flynt.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 10 attendees.
Saturday, March 18 at 12 PM
Difficulties in Dating, a performance with The Confused Greenies.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Pegasus Room with 12 attendees.
Saturday, March 18 at 1 PM
Star Maps and Alternate Earths, a panel with Andy Presby
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Hayes C & D Room with 7 attendees.
Saturday, March 18 at 3:30 PM
A Concert by The Harp Twins
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Pegasus Room with 110 attendees. (A Full House)
Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM
Quitting Your Day Job, a panel with J. D. Blackrose, Joelle Presby, Olivia Berrier, and Linda Robertson Reinhardt.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 7 attendees.
Sunday, March 19 at 10 AM
Structuring Your Story, a panel with Evan Graham, Marie Vibbert, Weston Kincade, and Tony Gates.
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 9 attendees.
Sunday, March 19 at 11 AM
A Concert by The Harp Twins
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Pegasus Room with 65 attendees.
Sunday, March 19 at 1 PM
The State of the Convention
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Pegasus Room with 12 attendees.
Sunday, March 19 at 2 PM
Closing Ceremonies
[Insert Summary Here]
They held the showcase in the Hayes C&D room with 37 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
Conference Recap Cleveland Concoction 2023
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction, at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 7 to 9, 2025. I attended 11 activities. My star of the con was Marie Vibbert. The con returns in March 2026.
I attended the SF conference called Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 8 to 10, 2024. I attended the opening ceremony, eight panels, two author showcases, and the closing ceremony. This year’s theme was the Neverending dungeon. My star of the con was Becca Lynn Mathis. The con returns from March 7 to March 9, 2025.
I attended the SF conference Cleveland Concoction 2019, at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 1 to 3, 2019. I attended the opening ceremony, four panels, and the closing ceremony. This is a link to my conference recap. I also volunteered in the Programming Department for four hours and in the ConSuite for four hours.
I attended the SF conference Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. The 2019 convention was from March 1 to 3, 2019 and I realized as I was writing a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2018 conference. This is a recap for the conference from last year. I attended the opening ceremony, five panels, two author showcases, a performance, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.
This is my recap for the SF conference Cleveland Concoction from 2017. They held it from March 10, 2017, to March 12, 2017. I attended nine activities and volunteered in the ConSuite for twelve hours.
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a reimagining of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway discovers a new species he calls Fuzzies. If they are determined to be sentient, then he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #12 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold is the twelfth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles returns to Barrayar before the royal wedding of Gregor. Miles is caught up in the political situation in capital. He is also trying to help his brother out of a tricky situation. He is also pursuing a relationship with Lady Ekaterin and fending off others interested in courting her. Can Miles juggle his conflicting objectives in Barrayar or will he fail in his Civil Campaign?
Summary
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold has four different main viewpoints.
Miles faces political upheaval in Barrayar and attempts maintaining a relationship with Lady Ekaterina before he can reveal his intentions to court her. Miles returned home after his last adventure in Komarr. Lady Ekaterin Vorssoison and her son have come to Barrayar. She had helped him in Komarr, he wants to pursue a romantic relationship with her, but she is in her mourning year after her husband’s death, though that doesn’t stop all the eligible bachelors attempting to court her. He’s also pulled in other directions by his brother Mark and his cousin Ivan.
Lady Ekaterin wants the best for her son and herself. She stays with her uncle and Aunt as she tries to recover from her husband’s sudden death. Miles helps her and she is attracted to him but doesn’t know if the feeling is mutual. She is stressed by all the eligible bachelors in the capital attempting to court her even though she is in her mourning year.
Mark Vorkosigan, Miles’s brother, has returned from a year in Beta Colony. He has a secret relationship with Kareen Koudelka. They are not sure if her parents will approve of the relationship. He brought Enrique from Escobar because they are in a scheme together to monetize the butter bugs Enrique developed. Mark, Enrique, Kareen, and Kareen’s sister Martya are involved with the scheme.
Miles’s cousin Ivan Vorpatril gets involved with a succession issue in the council of the counts. He thinks about rekindling a relationship with a former lover but their more concerned with securing the countship. He is pressed because of a plot to injure the prospective count and must overcome his objections to succeed.
Recommendation
Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet in A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her. I liked the novel’s mix of regency romance, butter bug shenanigans, and political intrigue. It was all interconnected and earns its happy ending.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold.
In Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, death will not stop Miles Vorkosigan, but his boss Simon Illyan has an illness that might end Miles’s career. Can Miles figure out what happened to Illyan and what he should do about it before it’s too late?
In Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must discover what happened to unusable ovarian samples. Will Ethan go off the planet, risk being corrupted, and solve the mystery of the unusable samples, or will he doom Athos by doing nothing?
In Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, they send Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy Cetaganda and save his home planet of Barrayar?
In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?
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?
In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?
In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith as a prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?
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.
I attended the SF conference called Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 7 to 9, 2025. I also attended Cleveland ConCoction in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. (2020, 2021, and 2022 were canceled due to COVID-19).I attended the opening ceremony, seven panels, two author showcases, and the state of the convention meeting. This year’s tag line was Race Back to The Castle. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of the movie Back to the Future and the 40th anniversary of the Super Mario Brothers Nintendo platform game.
Mogchelle the emcee (she was also a cosplay guest, dressed as Beetlejuice at this ceremony) introduced the guests and staffers at the con. Marie Vibbert was the author guest of honor, Big Girl Little World was a cosplay guest (dressed as a shrunken head employee from Beetlejuice Beetlejiuce), the duo LoRTH were cosplay guests, and Eric Hogg was the Con Chair.
They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 20 attendees.
Friday, March 7 at 6 PM
Author Showcase with Barbara Doran, Becca Lynn Mathis, Megan R. Engelhardt, and Vik Walker
Each author read for 15 minutes. Vik Walker read from their paranormal romance. Barbara Doran read from her novel, The Book Hunter’s Apprentice. Becca Lynn Mathis read from her novel, Wound Shadows. Megan R. Englehardt read from her novel, The Way We Used to Walk.
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 7 attendees.
Friday, March 7 at 7 PM
Finish the Novel, a panel with Evan Dicken, Jahrod K. Anderson, Marie Vibbert, Charlie Oberndorf, and J. D. Blackrose.
Tips and tricks for productive, sustainable writing practices. Oberndorf said that the key to finishing a novel is to find the heart of your story to get to the ending. Blackrose said that you must find a way to write out of the issue you are stuck on. It’s important you have a writing habit. A novel is a marathon, not a sprint.
They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 4 attendees.
Friday, March 7 at 8 PM
Paths to Publishing, a panel with Evan Dicken, Jahrod K. Anderson, Becca Lynn Mathis, David F. Balog, and J. D. Blackrose.
The modern landscape of publishing and cultivating an audience. Mathis used Wattpad to get her work out there. She also said to get on social media, Facebook and Instagram for the older crowd, and Tik Rok and Tumblr for the younger crowd. Mathis said that you need to remember that you need at least 25 Amazon reviews to get into the Amazon Algorithm.
They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 6 attendees.
Saturday, March 8 at 10 AM
Using Flashbacks/ Flash Forwards in Writing, a panel with Weston Kincade, Barbara Doran, David F. Balog, and J. D. Blackrose.
Is it a good idea? Make sure you don’t leave your reader in the wrong century. Blackrose said that it is important to keep your flashbacks short, so you don’t lose the narrative flow of your main story. Balog and Doran both said to start in mid-action and then flash back for your backstory.
They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 7 attendees.
Saturday, March 8 at 12 PM
Building a Writing Habit, a panel with Cindy A. Mathews, J. D. Blackrose, Charlie Oberndorf, and Megan R. Engelhardt.
Step-by-step talking about finding the barriers keeping you from writing and how to overcome them. Oberndorf suggests writing early in the morning, deadlines help you focus and create a rhythm in your writing habit. Blackrose said that it helped her to have a part-time and flexible work schedule. Oberndorf said that stories are about things going wrong, start there.
They held the panel in the Presidential Board Room with 5 attendees.
Saturday, March 8 at 2 PM
No Hero Does It Alone, a panel with A. J. Mathews, Vik Walker, Weston Kincade, Alan Bailey, Sama Cleveland, and Cindy Mathews.
Writing standout sidekicks and side characters. Question: What are the equalities of a well written sidekick? Cindy Mathews said they are less informed but have a complementary talent for the hero. Walker said they can bring humor or serve as a mentor to the hero. Question: The uses of a sidekick. Cindy Mathews said that the sidekick can propel the plot forward. Question: Who is your Favorite Sidekick? A. J. Mathews, Samwell in Lord of the Rings, Cindy Mathews, Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes series, and Kincade, Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series,
They held the panel in the Hayes A Roomwith 6 attendees.
Saturday, March 8 at 4 PM
Going From Short Story to Novel, a panel with Cindy Mathews, Marcus Cook, Marcus Calvert, and Megan R. Englehardt.
It’s not just about adding adjectives. Calvert said you can learn the craft to write-by-writing short stories. Mathews said a short story has a limited premise solving a smaller problem than a novel. The audience asked for a definition of a short story. The answer was under ten thousand words. Calvert said to aim for a three-thousand-word short story which takes about ten minutes to read.
They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 10 attendees.
Saturday, March 8 at 5 PM
Plantsing vs Pottsing, a panel with A. J. Mathews, Evan Dicken, Jahrod K. Anderson, Tory Gates, and Clif Flynt.
Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? Panelists discuss the pros and cons of careful plot outlines, bullet points, pitch, spreadsheets, and other ways to get from blank screen to a finished story. Flynt is a plotter and brought a ten-foot-long sheet of paper where he had written out the plotting of one of his novels. Mathews said that you need all your plot points before writing murder mysteries. Gates said he gets ideas first, then writes character sketches, then a synopsis/timeline, and only then does he write the narrative. Dicken said that he writes IP novels, so he must submit an outline before he can start writing. Anderson said he is a pantser by nature, so he feels that detailed outlining stifles his creativity.
They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 16 attendees.
Sunday, March 9 from 10 AM
The State of the Convention
Wasn’t this a great weekend? No? Come tell us (gently) why and we’ll tell you what’s been going on with the Con. Seven members of the convention committee were present. They were former Con Chair Laura, Amy Schman from Programing, Eric Hogg the Con Chair and Hotel Liaison, Stan Paulson from Security, Sin from Operations, Ashley Berry from Publicity, and Casey Taylor from Gaming. Concoction is the second biggest event at the Bertram this year, the first is Twinsfest in Twinsburg. They plan to develop an anime track to attract younger attendees. The committee always need volunteers. They wondered if a book club would be beneficial to the Con.
They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 8 attendees
Sunday, March 9 at 11 AM
Author Showcase with Weston Kincade, David F. Balog, and Geoffry Landis.
Listen to your favorite authors read excepts from newly released and soon to be released works. Find your next great read. Ask questions and discover the world behind the books. Balog read a chapter from his novel, The Necromancer’s Sorrow. (Note: Balog has the owl Glitter featured in his books perched on his shoulder.) Kincade read the short story “Permadrunk” from his collection, Tales from the Box. Geoffrey Landis (Mary Turzillo was scheduled for the showcase but she was sick, not COVID, and he substituted for her.) read three poems. Kincade read a poem from his collection. Balog read a preface/poem from his novel.
They held the showcase in Hayes A Room with 8 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2025
ConCoction 2025 was wonderful. The Bertram Conference center is nice. The con was held previously at the Airport Sheraton which was torn down this year. My star of the con was Marie Vibbert, the last-minute Author Guest of Honor. I saw her in one panel, attending several panels, and giving a reading in the Consuite. My other highlights were seeing Weston Kincade and David F. Balog who were both on panels and in an author showcase. I’m planning on attending next year.
Links
Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2025
I attended the SF conference called Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 8 to 10, 2024. I attended the opening ceremony, eight panels, two author showcases, and the closing ceremony. This year’s theme was the Neverending dungeon. My star of the con was Becca Lynn Mathis. The con returns from March 7 to March 9, 2025.
I attended the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction 2019 at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 1 to 3, 2019. I attended the opening ceremony, four panels, and the closing ceremony. This is a link to my conference recap. I also volunteered in the Programming Department for four hours and in the ConSuite for four hours.
I attended the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. The 2019 convention was from March 1 to 3, 2019 and I realized as I was writing a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2018 conference. This is a recap for the conference from last year. I attended the opening ceremony, five panels, two author showcases, a performance, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.
This is my recap for the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction from 2017. They held it from March 10, 2017, to March 12, 2017. Attended nine activities and volunteered in the ConSuite for twelve hours.
In April 2025, I presented the short story named Mixtape to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2025.
In the past, I sent the stories, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.
Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.
Events from April 2025.
No events in April.
Writing Goals for May 2025.
In May 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for May 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in May 2025.
Eventually, I plan to work on the third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.
Polish and send the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
In May 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for May 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is Balticon, from May 23, 2025, to May 25, 2025. They will hold the conference at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.
In March 2025, I presented the short story named The Squirrel Curse to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2025.
In the past, I sent the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.
Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.
Events from March 2025.
I attended the Cleveland Concoction, from March 7, 2025, to March 9, 2025. They will held the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.
This is a link to the Cleveland Concoction website.
I also attended the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 22, 2025.
This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.
In April 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in April 2025.
Eventually, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.
Polish and send the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
In April 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for April 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is Balticon, from May 23, 2025, to May 25, 2025. They will hold the conference at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.
I attended the 40th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference 2025 on March 22, 2025. 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.
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, justin a. reynolds.
They held the welcome and conference overview in the meeting room A/B/C with about 100 attendees.
Saturday, March 22nd at 9:45 AM
Keynote Speaker: The Long and Twisty Road.
The keynote speaker was justin a. reynolds, the 2025 Cuyahoga County Public Library Writer in Residence. He writes YA novels and graphic novels.
His mother was a librarian, and he spent much of his youth in the library. He was always a reader and wanted to write. justin remembered moving the books in the literary section where his books would go that he wrote in the future. He says that if you write, you are a writer. His biggest key to success is perseverance. He enjoys giving back by teaching at the Interlochen Writing Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. His best advice is to show up to the page and just write. Give yourself permission to fail and trust your voice.
They held the talk in the meeting room A/B/C with about 130 attendees.
Saturday, March 22nd at 10:30 AM
Breakout Session: Inside the Industry.
The presenter was J. Thorn. He is a self-published author.
The talk’s subtitle was: A Q and A with Veteran and Independent Author, J. Thorn.
This was the theme of his talk. It’s never been a better time to be a writer than now, just don’t expect to get paid for your work. You need to find out what you want out of writing and go for that satisfaction. He talked about the differences between writing non-fiction and fiction. He talked about the differences in publishing traditionally and independently. The threat of AI to the writing community came up in the Q and A session. Readers may want to read a human writing for humans instead of AI.
You can find J. Thorn on the following websites.
(Jthorn.net) and (theauthorlife.com)
They held the talk in the writer’s center meeting room with about 24 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
I enjoyed attending the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2024. I also attended the conference in 2019, 2022, 2023 (they canceled the conference in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19), and 2024. My Star of the Con was J. Thorn. He had some brilliant advice for beginning writers.
Links
This is my Recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference on March 23, 2024, where I attended the introduction, the keynote speaker presentation, and a breakout session. The Cuyahoga County Public Library held the conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch.
This is my Recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference on March 26, 2022, where I attended the introduction, a keynote speaker, and two breakout sessions. The Cuyahoga County Public Library held the conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch.
I attended the 36th 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.
I attended the 34th 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.
In February 2025, I presented the short story “We Sell All Potions Greenhouse” to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
Writing Progress from February 2025 Continued
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2025.
In the past, I sent the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.
Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.
Events from February 2025.
The next conferences I intend to attend are Concoction Cleveland and the Western Reserve Writer’s Conference in March, which are detailed in the planned events section.
Writing Goals for March 2025.
In March 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in March 2025.
Eventually, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film Noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.
Polish and send the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
In March 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for March 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 7, 2025, to March 9, 2025. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.
This is a link to the Cleveland Concoction website.
Another event I plan to attend is the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 22, 2025.
This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.
On August 26, 2016, I created my website at garydavidgillen.com. Making a website was part of my plan to become a social media experienced writer. I had written a novel and a few short stories over the years, but I had stopped writing in 2012. In December of 2015 I decided to start writing again.
I finished the story I was writing in 2012 (called Dystopia then, now called Kay-Eye.) in that month and created a plan for 2016. My 2016 plan called for writing four short stories, begin attending conventions, creating Facebook and Twitter accounts, and starting a website. I wanted to become a better writer and then expand the short novel that I had written in 1995. It was called A Gathering in New Marl in 1995, and I have renamed it Assassin in New Marl City. I joined a writer’s workshop group at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library and two at the Parma-Snow Library. I have been writing ever since.
This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.
Writing Progress from August 2016 to December 2024
Year in Review 2024
Novels written are Assassin in New Marl City and Cuba Liberto.
Novel in progress is Chemithurgy.
South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library workshop submissions include 1 in 2016, 1 in 2017, 2 in 2018, 2 in 2019, 3 in 2020, and 1 in 2021 for a total of 10 submissions.
Parma Library introductory workshop submissions include 5 in 2017, 9 in 2018, 11 in 2019, 9 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 11 in 2022, 4 in 2023, and 0 in 2024 for a total of 59 submissions.
Parma Library advanced workshop submissions include 4 in 2017, 12 in 2018, 11 in 2019, 11 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 10 in 2022, 9 in 2023, and 8 in 2024 for a total of 74 submissions.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.
The four other stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir (aka Game Dome) have been submitted to magazines.
Magazine submissions include 2 in 2016, 13 in 2017, 0 in 2018, 1 in 2019, 19 in 2020, and 4 in 2021 for a total of 39 submissions
Magazine submissions for 2016 to 2021 were 11 unique stories submitted 39 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 39 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.
This website post is post number 316 including 159 Book Reviews, 100 Writing Progress Reports, 44 Conference Recaps, and 13 Other Posts.
Events attended from July 2016 to December 2024
Year in Review 2024
Cons attended include 5 in 2016, 7 in 2017, 6 in 2018, 7 in 2019, 4 (3V) in 2020, 1 (1V) in 2021, 5 in 2022, 7 (1V) in 2023, and 6 in 2024 for a total of 48 cons attended.
Confusion, Detroit, MI (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Gotham Writers Conference (2019, 2020V, 2023V)
Dragon Con, Atlanta, GA (2020V)
Ice and Fire Con, Mt. Sterling, OH (2022, 2023, 2024)
Writing Goals for January 2025 to December 2025
Polish and submit these ten stories: Explosion at Moon Base Plaza, Grognard Simulations, Kay-Eye, Bear and his Boy, We Sell All Potions Greenhouse, The Squirrel Curse, The Prisoner of Tarnal, The Case of the Reluctant Pawnbroker, Game Dome, and the Erebus Project for submission to short fiction magazines.
Expand the novelette called Chemithurgy from about 13000 words into a 22000-word novella. (This is a 2025 project.)
Expand the novella called Chemithurgy from about 22000 words into a 40000-word short novel. (This is a 2026 project.)
Edit Assassin in New Marl City (about 88000 words) and try to get an agent to sell it to a traditional publisher or prepare to self-publish it. (This is a 2027 project.)
Edit Cuba Liberto (about 88000 words) and try to get an agent to sell it to a traditional publisher or prepare to self-publish it. (This is a 2028 project.)
Make 11 submissions to the Parma Library advanced workshop in 2025.
Join a short fiction writing group at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library and make 6 submissions.
Write and publish 48 posts on my website in 2025 including 24 Book Reviews, 12 Writing Progress Reports, and 12 Conference Recaps.
Planned Events for January 2025 to December 2025
January 23 to January 26, 2025, Confusion in Detroit, MI.
March 7 to March 9, 2025, Concoction in Cleveland, Ohio.
March 22, 2025, Western Reserve Writers Conference in South Euclid, Ohio.
May 23 to May 25, 2025, Balticon, Baltimore, MD.
July 25 to July 27, 2025, Confluence in Pittsburgh, PA.
September 20, 2025, Cleveland Inkubator in Cleveland, Ohio.
OR
September 19 to September 21, 2025, Capclave, Washington, D.C.
November 20 to November 22, 2025, Philcon, Philadelphia, PA.
Links
Year in Review 2024
In December 2024, I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for December 2024, which I linked below.
