In April 2026, I presented the revised Chapter 1 of my expanded short story named Chemithury to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I wrote new short stories in January, February, and March. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2026.
Events from April 2026.
I did not attend an event in April 2026.
Writing Goals for May 2026.
In May 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for May 2026.
I plan to work on Chapter 2 of the revised and expanded story named Chemithurgy for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in May 2026.
In May 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
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, 2023, 2024, or 2025.
I plan to submit short stories in 2026.
Planned Events for May 2026.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 24, 2026, to July 26, 2026. They will have the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, (2021 was cancelled due to COVID), 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
I attended the Detroit Penguicon 2026 Conference at the Westin Southfield-Detroit from March 27, 2026, to March 28, 2026. I attended the opening ceremonies and seven panels. This year’s theme was Rising from the Ashes. I attended the conference in 2024, but they did not have it in 2025.
Panel on The Art of the Short Story with Leslie Gulvas, Ken McGregor, Storm Humbert, and Jean Davis:
The panel discussed how to get ideas, write short stories, and sell your work. Do you pick a title before or after writing a story. Use a working title that probably changes before you finish, though writing for anthologies may require a certain story title. Short stories must start with a bang to capture the readers’ attention, so how do you do that? Start in the middle of the action with an action beat because you must grab the reader’s attention in your first 500 words or less. A great first line helps. Can you make a living as a short story writer? Not today, the compensation is minimal. The goal for today in writing short stories is to expose your brand to new readers who will read your novel length work next.
They held the panel in Algonquin A with 15 attendees.
Friday, March 27th at 5 PM
Panel on The Evolution of Science Fiction with Ray Tabler, Stephanie Loree, David Weber, Evan Dicken, and Katie Spina:
In what ways has Science Fiction changed since its start? Why did these changes happen and what do they mean for authors now? Science Fiction came from the pulps of the 1940s and 1950s. What are the differences compared to today’s writings? More women are writing Science Fiction, women in the stories are no longer props, and science matters but humanity takes us farther. What is more important, settings or character? Readers connect to character, so that is more important. Mood is important. Last thoughts? Science fiction is now mainstream. Science Fiction is just a label.
They held the panel in Algonquin A with 32 attendees. (standing room only)
Friday, March 27th at 6 PM
Welcome to PenguiCon Opening Ceremonies:
The ceremonies started with an Honor Guard presented by the Royal Manticoran Navy.
Heather Williams is this years Con Chair and the moderator for the ceremonies.
She introduced the various department heads.
Heather introduced the authors, Tracy Barrett, Ryan Rose, David Weber, Jim Butcher, and Jennifer Blackstream.
She mentioned the reset room, the DIY room, the Gaming room, the picture backdrop at the hotel entrance, and the Consuite located upstairs.
They held the opening ceremonies in Algonquin B/C with 75 attendees.
Saturday, March 28th at 11 AM
Panel on What I Wished I Had Known with Jean Davis, Stephanie Loree, Ryan Rose, Katie Spina, and Ray Tabler:
The panelists discussed what they learned about writing, publishing and marketing in their career.
Where did it go wrong? Don’t be afraid to start over if you’re not feeling it.
What is your writing process? Try to write 500 words in 30 minutes to combat perfectionism. After the first draft write an emotional outline to see the complete journey of the characters. Asterisk the hard parts, move on, and come back to them later. Edit as I go.
How do you get from want to, to do it? Put in the work, rea more, and believe in the dream. Learn to accept the bad days as learning experiences. Be okay with your tastes exceeding your abilities when you start out.
They held the panel in Algonquin A with 15 attendees.
Saturday, March 28th at 1 PM
Panel on Self-Publishing 101 with Katie Spina, Sarah Hans, Tracy Barnett, Jennifer Blackstream, and Jean Davis:
Self-published authors discussed why they chose the self-published route and explained how they published their own books.
What made you choose self-publishing? Small press closed leading to self-publishing, no comparables so better to self-publish, and it’s very easy to do now so they did.
What do you do about formatting and covers? Canva, Mac Book, Affinity, Pixaby for images, and ISOCK Photo for images.
How much money do you put into your books? None because it’s all funded by Kickstarter, about $1000 per book, about $300 per book, and swap editing with another author.
Advice if you went back in time, how would you do better? Quit tweaking and get it out, get your social media bonus items together first,
How do you create a strategy to find your target audience? Keep being out there, giveaways, Book Funnel, and Freebie from a Friend.
They held the panel in Algonquin D with 24 attendees.
Saturday, March 28th at 2 PM
Panel on Paths to Publishing with Llewella Forgie, Jean Davis, Ray Tabler, Kyle Miller, Jarod K. Anderson, and Matt Betts:
The path to publication includes traditional published, small or medium presses, and self-published.
How do you decide which path you take? Weigh the pros and cons. It depends on the goal for the project.
Pros for traditional publishing are working with professionals and getting an advance. Cons for traditional publishing is that it takes a long time from writing to publishing. You need patience for this.
Pros for small press publishing are that you have freedom with your content.
Pros for self-publishing are control, your vision, and print on demand changed the experience.
Cons for self-publishing are the marketing is solely the author’s responsibility.
Advice for Agent Query letters. Never send a hard copy, send the first ten pages in a word document, follow the guideline for each submission, use comps in your letter.
They held the reading in the Algonquin A room with 26 attendees.
Saturday, March 28th at 3 PM
Panel on Outline Like a Pro with Llewella Forgie, Sarah Hans, Christine Daigle, Christian Klaver, and Matt Betts:
There are outliners and there are pantsers.
How do you use outlines for writing your novel? They are a pantser, an outliner who ignores their outlines, used to be a pantser, changes per project, and a converted pantser.
What program do you use? Scrivener, Plotter, and White Board.
How much to too much plotting? Get the basics down and then get to the writing. Write a four-page outline at tops.
They held the reading in the Algonquin D room with 12 attendees.
Sunday, March 29th at 11 AM
Panel on Finishing Strong by Writing a Great Ending with David Weber, Jennifer Blackstream, and Llewella Forgie:
The authors commented on what makes a great ending to a book or a series that will leave your readers satisfied.
What makes a great ending? It is set up by what comes before. The main characters all need their ending.
When do you stop? In a mystery it’s when who did it is revealed.
Should you put a surprise at the end? A promise that something is coming must end with a resolution that fits the project.
Writer’s Advice. Killing a character should be hard for you as a writer and you must live with that.
Writer’s Advice. Remember that the end of a book is a resting place for the writer and the reader, but not the characters.
They held the reading in the Algonquin A room with 26 attendees. (standing room only)
Recommendation – Conclusion
I felt the Detroit Penguicon 2026 went well and enjoyed attending it this year. My star of the Con was the author, David Weber. He gave insightful comments in all three panels I saw him in. I’m looking forward to attending the Con in 2027.
Links
This is my recap of the 2024 conference.
I attended the SF conference named PenguiCon at 1275 South Huron Street Ypsilanti, Michigan at the Ann Arbor Marriott, Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. I attended the opening ceremonies, three panels, and one author reading. This year’s theme was Open Source.
I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. My star of the con was the author E.M. Anderson. They read two chapters from different novels in their author’s reading and gave insightful comments on their panel about writing. I was looking forward to attending again in 2025, but I have recently heard that it was cancelled.
These are recaps of the two other cons that I went to this year.
This is my post about ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference from January 30, 2026, to February 1, 2026. The theme was Magical ConFusion. I attended 8 events. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.
I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 6 to 8, 2026. I attended 4 activities. My star of the con was Ashley Berry, the 2026 Con Chair. The con returns in March 2027 with the theme of A Star Noir.
Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #8 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold is the eighth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Lord Miles Vorkosigan uses his alias, Admiral Miles Naismith. He is the leader of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. This time, the fleet is at Jackson Whole. Jackson Whole is run by gangsters who have illegal cloning businesses. Miles must rescue his brother Mark from the gangs and disrupt the cloning operation. Will the brothers perform their mirror dance and escape Jackson Whole in one piece?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold is the thirteenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and Ekaterine are racing back from their honeymoon to see the birth of their children, but a mystery brews for Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan. An issue arises in Quaddiespace involving Komarr, Cetaganda, and the triumphant return of Bel Thorne. Will Miles solve the mystery before an environmental disaster is released in the universe?
In A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her.
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?
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold is the fifth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet escape the Cetagandans and arrive at Earth for repairs. Miles must juggle both of his identities, obtain the funds to repair the fleet, and defeat a plot to replace him with a double. Will Miles achieve his goals and rescue his brothers in arms?
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.
In March 2026, I presented a short story named Cruising the Moons of Jupiter to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I will write new short stories in January, February, and March. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2026.
Events from March 2026.
I attended Cleveland Concoction, from March 6, 2026, to March 8, 2026. They held the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.
I also attended Detroit Penguicon at the Westin Southfield-Detroit from March 27, 2026, to March 26, 2026. I attended the opening ceremonies and seven panels. This year’s theme was Rising from the Ashes.
Writing Goals for April 2026.
In April 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for April 2026.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in April 2026.
In April 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
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, 2023, 2024, or 2025.
I plan to submit short stories in 2026.
Planned Events for April 2026.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 24, 2026, to July 26, 2026. 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, 2024, and 2025.
In Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore, Hodge is a historian living in a world where the South won the Civil War. They call it the war of Southron Independence. He lives in a much-reduced North and wonders how his history was shaped. He gets the chance to see the past as it happens. Will the North win this time and bring the jubilee to the South?
Summary
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is said to be a memoir by Hodge, a historian from the world where the South won the Civil War. Hodge grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. When he turns 17, he seeks his fortune in New York City. The South is a superpower, while the North is lesser. The South and Great Britain are allies, while the German Union and the Spanish empire are allied against them. Hodge gets a job in New York City and learns about the state of the world. He forms his desire to be an historian from living in New York.
The war of Southron Independence facinates Hodge and especially the battle of Gettysburg, which the South won which led the South to winning the war. He has an opportunity to see the battle firsthand. His goal was to be an observer only, but the reality did not follow his plans.
Recommendation
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is an alternate history and time traveling novel that raises interesting questions. Would the world be a better place if the South had won the war? Would it be different? Can events change the course of history? Hodge raises these questions and more in the novel. He portrays the uninvolved observer. But not choosing is still a choice. He had a wonderful life in his timeline with Catalina, but he had to learn what he wanted to learn which cost him in the end. This novel is a tragedy to me, a well written tragedy. I’m glad a read this novel.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore.
This novel has one alternate history narrative while the following novel has four alternate history timelines.
In The Female Man by Joanna Russ, four identical women, separated by chance, come together for a reason revealed only at the end of the novel. The novel explores how their different upbringing shapes each of these women. It was disturbing and thought-provoking.
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #5 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold is the fifth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet escape the Cetagandans and arrive at Earth for repairs. Miles must juggle both of his identities, obtain the funds to repair the fleet, and defeat a plot to replace him with a double. Will Miles achieve his goals and rescue his brothers in arms?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold is the thirteenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and Ekaterine are racing back from their honeymoon to see the birth of their children, but a mystery brews for Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan. An issue arises in Quaddiespace involving Komarr, Cetaganda, and the triumphant return of Bel Thorne. Will Miles solve the mystery before an environmental disaster is released in the universe?
In A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her.Â
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, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 6 to 8, 2026. I also attended Cleveland Concoction in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. (2020, 2021, and 2022 were canceled because of COVID-19).I attended the opening ceremony and three panels. This year’s theme was The Ragnarok of the Rings. Celebrating the Vikings and the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie.
They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 31 attendees.
Saturday, March 7 at 4 PM
Is time spent writing short stories worthwhile? A panel with Robert Moore, E. C. Wolfe, J. D. Blackrose, and Marcus Calvert.
[Insert Summary]
They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 8 attendees.
Saturday, March 7 at 6 PM
Reading like a writer, a panel with H. T. Brady, E. C. Wolfe, J. D. Blackrose, and Clif Flynt
[Insert Summary]
They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 7 attendees.
Saturday, March 7 at 7 PM
How much is too much? A panel with Marie Vibbert, Barbara Doran, Addie J. King, Clif Flynt, and Weston Kincade.
[Insert Summary]
They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 10 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
Conference Recap Cleveland Concoction 2026 was wonderful. The Bertram Conference Center is nice. My star of the con was Ashley Berry. She was the Con Chair for 2026, gave an impressive performance at the opening ceremonies, and wrote an interesting word from our Con Chair in the 2026 program. It was a bummer that they changed the time for the Confused Greenies improv of What went down in goblin town, so I had to miss it. Maybe next year. The con returns in March 2027 with the theme of A Star Noir.
Links
I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it 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, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it 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. They held it 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. They held it 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 that as I was writing a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2018 conference. This is a recap of last year’s conference. 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 Con Suite for twelve hours.
This collection has ten stories that are not part of the cosmere universe. An overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere, connects the author’s works. The author set the stories of the cosmere on a group of worlds that people travel to through magical means. These are science fiction and fantasy stories not set in the cosmere. They previously published nine of these stories, while publishing the story Moment Zero here for the first time. All the stories in this collection are excellent, but I will comment on each, starting with the one I like most.
Summary
Moment Zero Summary and Recommendation
Moment Zero is a science fiction novella involving two detective partners at work and in life. A time travel incident occurs, and they must work together to avoid an apocalyptic future.
Moment Zero is the longest story in this collection, and it was published here for the first and only time. The author writes in the postscript that he wanted to tell a story about two people fighting through time to avoid the apocalypse and to show the end of a failed relationship. I thought it was the best story in the collection.
Snapshot Summary and Recommendation
Snapshot is a science fiction novella about two detective partners sent into a simulation of the previous day to determine the circumstances of a crime that was committed that day.
This was a nice serial killer thriller. The twist comes at the end, revealing an interesting secret about the relationship between the main character detectives. The author writes in the postscript that he worried it was too on the nose, but I think that’s what makes it good.
Perfect State Summary and Recommendation
Perfect State is a science fiction novel about a simulation where real-born people inhabit a fantasy land surrounded by machine-born NPCs. Real born are the masters of their simulation, but there are other simulations where other real born people are located. What happens when they put two real-born people together?
The author writes in the postscript that he wanted to write about a reverse Matrix, where the real born have reasons to be happy inside the simulation. I felt like he accomplished that goal in the story. He debated whether to include or delete the final scene. At one time, he did, but he felt that without the final scene, the story is incomplete, so the final scene is in this collection. I think his reasons are valid, and I am glad that he chose to include them here.
I Hate Dragons Summary and Recommendation
I Hate Dragons is a humorous fantasy short story. Skip’s special talent is that he smells good to dragons. Also, he can understand spoken words as written to the annoyance of his employer, Master Johnston. Skip is the dragon bait and Master Johnston’s crew are dragon killers. The story follows from that setup.
It’s a great, funny story. The author writes in the postscript that he wrote this story in response to a prompt from his podcast, Writing Excuses, in January 2011. The prompt was to write a story with dialogue only. No dialogue tags or descriptions are allowed.
This is a link to the story on his website. Extended versions of the story are also found at that link.
Defending Elysium is a science fiction novelette. Jason comes to the orbital station Evensong to find a missing operative sent by his company. An extraterrestrial being is murdered, and things get more complicated. How are these two events connected?
This story is set in the same universe as the author’s Skyward series. It’s one of his earliest written stories.
Mitosis is a superhero science fiction novelette. David is a Reckoner, a group that defeated Epics, strong supervillains. Another Epic surfaces and David must defeat it, or it will kill many citizens of David’s city.
This story is set in the same universe as the author’s Reckoners series.
Firstborn Summary and Reccomendation
Firstborn is a science fiction short story. Dennison is overshadowed by the accomplishments of his older brother Varion. Varion is an experienced space fleet commander, who has never lost an engagement. Dennison always fails in his attempts. Dennison studies Varion’s record. What will Dennison do with his knowledge?
This story was originally published on Tor.com which is called reactor now. It’s one of his earliest written stories. The author writes in his postscript that he wanted to explore the topic of nature versus nurture in this story.
Dreamer is a phycological horror short story. Dreamer and Phi both want to find Longshot first. Who is going to win this battle and what that means is the subject of the story.
This story was first published in the Games Creatures Play anthology. It’s a short story that tells the message and finishes quickly. It’s hard to care for these characters because of what they are.
Brain Dump Summary and Recommendation
Brain Dump is a short story about genetic engineering. People can choose the brain that they want for their children. A couple wants a child and finds out the downside of the choice. There is always a negative consequence for any positive trait. They choose their own path.
This story gives a different take on designer brains.
Probability Approaching Zero Summary and Recommendation
Probability Approaching Zero is short flash science fiction story.
Not much there.
Recommendation
Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson. is a great anthology. I liked Moment Zro and Snpshot the most.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson.
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson. Sixth of the Dusk is a trapper that has magical birds that help him. Dusk must travel to the dangerous Emberdark and discover a necessary secret or his people would lose their freedom to those who want to take it away.
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson. They published the original novella named Sixth of the Dusk in this anthology.
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. Dalinar Kholin’s forces fight the forces of the god, Odium. The fight ends with a contest of champions. Who will prevail in the contest of champions?
My review of Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. Wax and Wayne must foil a plot started by the terrorist group called the Set to destroy their home and people.
My review of Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson. In book 3.5 of the Stormlight Archive, Rysn and Lopen must uncover the secrets of the lost island of Akinah, or it will doom Roshar.
My review of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, a collection with nine stories that are part of the cosmere universe. An overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere interrelated many of the author’s works. He set six stories on the worlds of his published novels, and three stories are about worlds that have not had a novel-length story treatment. All the stories in this collection are excellent.
On February 14, 2026, we went to the Fourteenth annual Cleveland Kurentovanje Festival and Parade. It’s a celebration of all things Slovenian and includes a parade on St. Clair Street in front of the Slovenian National Home as pictured above.
Writing Progress from February 2026.
I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for February 2026, which I linked below.
In February 2025, I presented the short story named Bounty Hunter Jupiter to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I will write new short stories in January, February, and March. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2026.
Events from February 2026.
No events attended in February
Writing Goals for March 2026.
In March 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for March 2026.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in March 2026.
In March 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
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, 2023, 2024, or 2025.
I plan to submit short stories in 2026.
Planned Events for March 2026.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 6, 2026, to March 8, 2026. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.
Another event I plan to attend is the 41st Annual Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 28, 2026.
This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.
I attended the ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference at the Sheraton Detroit Novi at 21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan, from January 30, 2026, to February 1, 2025. I also attended ConFusion Detroit in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsored the conference. I attended the opening ceremonies, the guests of honor’s dessert reception, four panels, the guest of honor’s interview, and one author’s reading. This year’s theme was Magical Confusion.
This is my plate from the guest of honor’s dessert reception held on Friday evening. Yum!
Summary
ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference Recap
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Recommendation – Conclusion
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Links
This is my post about the ConFusion Detroit 2025 Conference from January 24 to 26, 2025. The theme was Monumental ConFusion for the 50th time they held the event. My stars of the con were John Scalzi and Marie Vibbert.
This is my post about the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 19 to 21, 2024. The theme was the Labyrinth of ConFusion. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.
In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan, from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.
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, 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.
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 chose 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.
