Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson, Secret Project Book #5.
Introduction
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson is the fifth Secret Project book. I received the eBook through a bonus for the leatherbound copy of The Words of Radiance campaign. It is an expansion of the novella named Sixth of the Dusk. Sixth of the Dusk is a trapper that has magical birds that help him. The people of his country are threatened by beings with more knowledge that want their resources. 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.
Summary
Sixth of the Dusk is a trapper in the archipelago on the planet named First of the Sun. Trappers specialize in the dangers of a specific island, in Dusk’s case that is Patji. The islands are deadly, but the trappers face the dangers because they can hatch and bond with magical birds, called Aviar, only found on the islands. The bird’s powers help the trapper’s overcome obstacles.
Dusk’s people live off the land and have limited technology, but in the flashbacks, we see how new technology can tame the deadly islands. He interacts with Vathi, she is a scientist leader, in the flashbacks and they come to an understanding. Dusk doesn’t like the changes to his beloved island. In the current timeline advanced alien beings arrive and want the secrets of the islands. Dusk must go on a journey into the Emberdark to find the secrets of the magical birds, or his culture will die.
Starling is a young dragon who is trapped in her human form because she must learn a lesson. She gets together a crew for her spaceship, Dynamic, to earn her freedom. She goes to the Emberdark. Dusk and Starling meet and can help each other to achieve their goals if they trust each other.
Recommendation
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson is a great expansion of the novella named Sixth of the Dusk. I thought that putting the entire novella as a flashback in the novel was a perfect strategy. He inserted chapters of the novella into the novel as it goes along. I thought that the addition of Starling, who is not in the novella, was a weaker plotline, but I understand why it was necessary to get the story up to novel length. Very well done.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson.
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.
I attended the Ice and Fire Conference 2023 at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, from April 28 to April 30, 2023. I originally had a ticket for the Ice and Fire Con 2020, but they canceled it because of COVID-19. They focus the conference on the works of George R. R. Martin. Especially the Game of Thrones series, including his other works in the world of Westeros. The HBO series called House of the Dragon is an example and the first season released on August 21, 2022. I did attend the 2022 conference. In 2023, I attended two panels, the musical named Queens, and the closing ceremonies. This year’s theme was Ten Years Ago, since the first conference was held ten years before this conference.
This is a link to the Ice and Fire Conference website.
This is my badge for Ice and Fire Con 2023, Ten Years Ago.
Summary
Ice and Fire Conference 2023 Recap
Friday, April 28th at 7 PM
Musical: Queens: A Dream of Endings:
In 2018 and 2019 conventions they presented Westeros: a parody musical featuring the Game of Thrones story and lyrics, with the music from the Broadway musical Hamilton. Link below.
In 2022 they presented Queens: a parody musical featuring the Game of Thrones story and lyrics, with the music from the Broadway musical Six (The six wives of Henry the VIII). Link below.
In 2023 they presented Queens: A Dream of Spring: an update of the 2022 show.
[Note: Parody songs in quotes and original songs in parentheses.]
It started with The Targaryan succession song with Bloodraven as the narrator.
All six Queens with Euron as the DJ. “Queens” (Ex-wives)
The six queens are Cersei, Margaery, Asha (Yara), Arianne, Danerys, and Sansa.
Cersei singing “No Shame” (No Way)
Margaery singing “Don’t Blow This Up” (Don’t Lose Your Head)
Asha singing “Seastone Throne” (Heart of Stone)
Arianne singing “Haus of Blackfyre” (Haus of Holbein)
The Young Griff sidebar singing “Swipe Left”
Arianne singing “Unbowed” (Get Down)
Daenerys singing “I was Born to Rule” (All You Wanna Do)
Sansa singing “I Don’t Need Your Throne” (I Don’t Need Your Love)
The Six Queens Finale sing “A Dream of Endings” (Six)
They held the panel in the Grand Ballroom with about 180 attendees.
Saturday, April 29th at 12 PM
Behind Queens Panel with most of the performers from the musical from Friday:
The panel talked about the ideas that led to the musical. They wanted to do another musical to follow Westeros which was performed in 2018 and 2019. Their first idea was The Night King Cometh. Then they saw the Broadway musical named Six, about the six wives of Henry VIII on March 1, 2000. The first idea coming from Six was to use the six wives of Maegor, but that didn’t seem right. Then COVID happened and postponed everything. They came back after COVID with the idea of using six the Queens of Westeros. That led to the musical performed in 2022 and 2023.
They held the performance in the Grand Ballroom with 20 attendees.
Sunday, April 30th at 12 PM
What to Expect from HotD Season 2 Panel with four panelists:
Two panelists were from the Radio Westeros podcast, and two panelists were from the History of Westeros podcast.
The panelists did a quick recap of season 1 and wondered if four seasons would complete the show. They wondered if they were going to do the Jace and Sarah Snow plotline in Winterfell at the beginning of season 2. They mentioned the new cast members, Blood and Cheese, Alys Rivers, Gwayne Hightower, Simon Strong, and Alyn of Hull. Since they announced there were only 8 episodes this season and no cast information for Daeron Targaryan, they suspected that they were cutting out the Western storyline this season.
They wondered how and when these plot points would be used in the season; Daemon takes Harrenhall, the fight between the Brackens and the Blackwoods at the Burning Mill, and Alys Rivers use of magic. Where would the Rook’s Rest battle be inserted. Were they putting the Battle of the Gullett in episode 7 or 8? (actually, they moved it to episode 1 of Season 3)
They wondered about what the show would do about Alicent and Rhaenyra going forward in the show since their involvement declines as the source material continues.
They held the panel in the Scarlett Oak Room with 40 attendees.
Sunday, April 30th at 1 PM
Closing Ceremonies with the con runners and guests:
They talked about the winners of the costume parade, the performance contest and the Tourney of Champions. Not every winner was there, but the awards were appreciated. Tara the conference chair said that she was moving out of state and couldn’t spend the time necessary running the conference in 2024. She hoped that someone would continue the conference in 2025
They held the ceremonies in the Scarlett Oak Room with 50 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
Ice and Fire Conference 2023 was fabulous. My star of the con was the musical performance of Queens (a parody of the Broadway show named Six). All six queens sang wonderfully, and all the other characters performed well. I haven’t seen the Broadway show named Six, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of this show. At the time it was expressed that there would not be a conference in 2024. There was none in 2025 and I haven’t heard about 2026. I’m sad to see this con go, especially since House of the Dragon Season Three and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season One are due to be released in 2026. The legacy of Game of Thrones continues, and I wish this conference had as well.
Links
My post about the SF conference Ice and Fire 2022 Conference on Apr 23 and 24. The theme was A Dream of Spring. My stars of the con were The Manimals Band and the Guest of Honor David J. Peterson.
ConFusion Detroit was a con I attended this year that is like the Ice and Fire Con. I attended the SF conference named ConFusion at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 21, 2022, to January 23, 2020. ConFusion Detroit 2020 was the last in-person con I attended. I have attended only virtual cons in the last two years. ConFusion 2022 was my next in-person con after that.The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsored ConFusion Detroit 2022. I attended the opening ceremonies, three panels, two lectures, one reading, and one interview. This year’s theme was rising confusion. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the con returned from a two-year absence.
The last in-person conference I attended before Confusion Detroit 2022 was Confusion Detroit 2020. They canceled the con in 2021. They held it in the same place in 2022, with strict masks and vaccination policies in effect. I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. I have two stars of the con. Author Guest of Honor Jim C. Hines gave a spirited reading of his short story, The Creature in Your Neighborhood, and an insightful interview by Black Gate Magazine. My other star of the con was Dr. Jordan Steckloff for the two lectures and the panel I attended he participated in.
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Book Thirteen of the Wheel of Time series.
Introduction
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is the thirteenth book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows seven main plot arcs. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, Egwene, Gawyn, and Aviendha. All seven characters face difficult choices and must grow to get closer to their goals. Will the forces of Light gather before the Last Battle begins?
Summary – Prologue
The prologue has six point-of-view characters, and each point of view sets up a plot arc.
Lan rides through Saldaea on his way to the Blight to fight the forces of the dark when he meets a friend on the road.
Perrin has a wolf dream with Hopper present, and he thinks about the past involving his assault on Malden and the aftermath.
Graendal escapes Rand’s balefire in a flashback from the earlier novel.
Galad and his Whitecloaks are betrayed and faces Asunawa and his Whitecloaks.
The Creature is a combination of Padan Fain and Mordeth thinks about killng Rand.
Malenarin Rai is the captain of a tower in Kandor which borders the Blight. A huge force of Trollocs invade Kandor and he is in the middle of it.
Summary–Main Plot Arcs
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson has seven main arcs.
Rand wants his forces to gather at the Field of Merrilor before he plans to break the seals and defeat the Dark One.
Mat takes the Band of the Red Hand to Caemlyn before they head to the Field of Merrilor. First, he plans to rescue someone at the Tower of Gehenjei with the help of Thom and Noal.
Perrin fights Slayer in the Wolf Dream. He also tries to come to an understanding with the Whitecloaks and their new commander, Galad.
Elyane is pregnant with twins. She navigates the politics in Andor and tries to take over Cairhein.
Egwene learns of Rand’s plan and tries to get as many people on her side as possible to dissuade Rand from his dangerous plan. She plans to trap Mesaana in T’A’R. She must decide what to do with Gawyn.
Gawyn investigates the suspicious deaths in the White Tower. He must decide what to do with Egweme.
Aviendha goes to Rhuidean to complete her Wise One Training. She experiences strange visions that she must confront.
Summary–Best Chapters
Eight Chapters stand out in The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
The Amyrlin’s Anger is Chapter 3 where Rand tells Egwene his plan to break the seals and fight the Dark One. He tells her to meet at the Field of Merrilor with everyone. Egwene starts a plan to dissuade Rand of his plan to break the seals.
Darkness in the Tower is Chapter 37 where Gawyn comes to a decision about his life, Egwene battles Mesaana, Perrin confronts Slayer, and Gawyn fights assassins out to kill Egwene.
Wounds is Chapter 38 where the conflicts from Chapter 37 are resolved.
A Making is Chapter 40 where Perrin makes a new hammer and becomes the leader he was always destined to be.
Near Avendesora is Chapter 48 where Aviendha has destrubing visions.
Court of the Sun is Chapter 49 where Aviendha has more visions and comes to a plan of action.
The Light of the World is Chapter 54 where Mat, Thom, and Noal attempt to enter the Tower of Gehenjei and rescue someone important. Mat must pay a price.
The One Left Behind is Chapter 55 where Mat and the rest of them try to escape the Tower of Gehenjei with there lives.
Recommendation
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson sets up A Memory of Light, the last novel of the series, well. Rand wants everyone to get to the Field of Merrilor to prepare for the Last Battle, Tarmon Gai’don. We will see Rand and Min, Perrin and Galad, Egwene and Gawyn, Elayne and Mat. The climax of the series is here.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
This is the link to my review of Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. When Rand forces the hand of one of the Forsaken, will the Forsaken defeat him or will he earn a Crown of Swords?
This is the link to my review of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time. Chaos reigns in the Westlands. They push Rand to the edge of insanity. Will he survive the box?
In August 2025, I presented Chapters One and Two of the novelette named Chemithurgy to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in August 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 August 2025.
None this month
Writing Goals for September 2025.
In September 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for September 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in September 2025.
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 September 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for September 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Capclave Conference, held near Wahington D. C. from September 19, 2025, to September 21, 2025. They will have the conference at the Rockville Hilton in Rockville, MD. I attended the Capclave in 2016. Looking forward to going again.
This is a link to more information about Capclave 2025.
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, Book #5 of the Stormlight Archive.
Introduction
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson is Book #5 of the Stormlight Archive. The featured character of this novel is Szeth, the Assassin in White, containing various flashbacks to give context to his actions that set off the plot of the series. Szeth goes to Shinovar with Kaladin on an important mission. The novel has six more viewpoint character groups in different locations and on different important missions. The book wraps up the main arcs for the first five novel sequence of the archive.
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Summary Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson.
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, interrelates many of the author’s works. He set the stories of the cosmere on a group of worlds that are connected through magical means. He set six stories in 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.
I attended the Confluence Pittsburgh 2025 Conference from July 25 to 27, 2025 They held the conference at 1160 Thorn Run Road Coraopolis, PA in the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. I also attended the conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. COVID-19 changed the conference to a virtual con named C’monfluence in 2020 which I viewed online. The Parsec organization of Pittsburgh runs this literary science fiction, fantasy, and horror conference. The events included panels, readings, interviews, writing workshops, and filk concerts. I attended the opening ceremonies, five panels, two readings, and a concert.
They held the Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport.
Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh 2025 Program Guide Cover
Picture of my badge from Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh 2025
Confluence Pittsburgh 2025 Conference Recap
Summary
Friday, July 25th at 7 PM
Opening Ceremonies
Conchair Kevin Hayes thanked the people for coming to the con and then he gave a gift bag to Cat Rambo, the Guest of Honor Writer.
Charles Oberndorf talked about the writing workshops offered during the con.
Christine Benner-Dixon talked about the short story writing contest.
Randy Hoffman talked about the musical guests featured for the con.
Then the audience sang “Three Days Away from the Rat Race.”
They held the ceremonies in Ballroom 1 with 35 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 11 AM
To the Solar System and the Stars: Future Space Drives with Robert Lohman and Geoffrey Landis
Science comes first. Rockets push against themselves, getting mass to speed by throwing mass out.
There are two types of propulsion needed, surface to orbit and orbit to elsewhere.
Ion drives and plasma drives need electricity to operate.
Solar power can get you to the asteroid belt, you can use laser beam from satellites to go beyond.
Fusion has been always 20 years in the future. SF literature wants fusion to work.
To get around the problem, SF authors use wormholes and warp drive.
Maybe the best possible way to the stars is star sails.
They held the panel in the Commonwealth East Room with 27 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 12 PM
The New Space Opera with Rich Horton, Marie Vibbert, Cat Rambo, and Larry Ivkovich
Space opera features high stakes grand adventure with action and spectacle. An example from the past are the stories in the Galactic Empires anthology, edited by Brian Aldiss.
Other examples are The Centauri Device, The Culture series by Ian M. Banks, and the Lensmen book by E. E. Smith.
Recommended novels are Secret of Sinharat by Leigh Brackett, Alistair Reynolds Revelation Space series, Space Opera by Cat Valente, and The Star Virus by Barrington Baily.
They held the panel in the Commonwealth West Room with 28 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 1 PM
It was 50 years ago today: The Science Fiction of 1975 with Rich Horton, Charles Oberndorf, Greg Feeley, Geoffrey Landis, and Mary Turzillo
There were many interesting novels published in 1975.
Venus on the Half-Shell by Phillip Jose Farmer
The Deep by John Crowley
Hello Summer, Goodbye by Michael Coney
Child of all Ages by P. J. Plauger
Four novels from 1975 were considered important at the time.
Shockwave Rider by John Brunner as a precursor to the Cyber Punk movement in SF.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman as a response to Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein and as using the Vietnam War as a metaphor.
The Female Man by Joanna Russ as a feminist exposition.
Dhalgren by Samual Delaney as an exploration of race, gender, and sexuality.
A trend that was still going strong in 1975 was the publishing of short story anthologies. Orbit, New Dimensions, and Universe were some of those printed in 1975.
They held the panel in the Commonwealth West Room with 20 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 2 PM
Reading by Marie Vibbert
She read Chapters 21 and 1 from her latest novel Andrei and the Hellcats (Galactic Hellcats #2)
An unpublished Flash Fiction titled, “At the Library of Peace.”
A poem from her notebook titled, “My Bio.”
They held the reading in the Solstice Room with 11 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 3 PM
Guest of Honor Talk with Cat Rambo
They decided not to read their SWFA speech, instead reading their We Live in Interesting Times Speech from off their phone.
After the speech, they had a short Q and A session.
Interesting information from the Q and A was they like Hope Punk, their favorite food is Mac Cheese, and they find volunteering rewarding.
They held the talk in Ballroom 1 with 57 attendees.
Saturday, July 26th at 5 PM
Concert with WASD.
Normally, the band has four members but most of them couldn’t make the con, but the guitar player was there. He played all the guitar parts live with recorded backing music. The band plays metal renditions of classic PC game soundtracks. They play selected screenshots from the games on a screen behind them.
He played ten selections in the concert. My favorite three tracks where from 1983 Space Quest III (Sierra Online Games), 1998 Balder’s Gate (Bioware Games), and 1990 Secret of Monkey Island (Lucasfilms Games).
They held the concert in Ballroom 1 with 18 attendees.
Sunday, July 27th at 11 AM
A Titan Sample Return Mission with Geoffrey Landis
He talked about a proposed mission to Titan with the possibility of a sample return to Earth. Phase I of the idea was to send a submarine to cruise the Kraken Mare. Phase II used a copter to raise the launch vehicle for the return mission.
They held the lecture in the Commonwealth West Room with 22 attendees.
Sunday, July 27th at 12 PM
Reading by Cat Rambo
They read Chapter 1 from their work in progress titled, “The Pragmatic Necromancer.”
It is a novel in the Dungeons and Dragons model.
They held the reading in the Solstice Room with 7 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
Confluence Pittsburgh 2025 Conference Recap from July 25 to 27, 2025, at the Sheraton Hotel. I attended 9 presentations.
I’m glad I attended the Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh 2025. My stars of the con were Cat Rambo and Marie Vibbert. Cat Rambo had a great Guest of Honor interview, a powerful reading, and was insightful and memorable in the panel of hers that I attended. Marie Vibbert had an interesting reading and was engaging in the panel I watched. I attended the opening ceremonies, five panels, two readings, and a concert. My other highlights were the 50 years ago panel and the concert performed by WASD. I also attended the conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. I hope to attend Confluence in 2026.
Links
Confluence Pittsburgh 2024 Conference Recap from July 26 to 28, 2024, at the Sheraton Hotel. I also attended Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. I attended 2 panels, 1 reading, and a concert.
Recap for the Confluence SF Conference in Pittsburgh on July 30, 2022, at the Sheraton. I also attended Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. I attended 3 panels, two readings, an improv comedy show, a concert, and the guest of honor presentation
Recap for the Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh held virtually from 10-02-20 to 10-04-20. I attended the opening ceremony, five panels, three readings, one presentation, the guest of honor presentation, and the conference breakdown.
Recap for the Confluence SF Conference Pittsburgh on July 27 & 28, 20, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. I also attended Confluence in ‘16, ‘17, and ‘18. I attended five panels, two fiction writing workshops, and the guest of honor presentation
They held the Confluence Conference from July 27, 2018, to July 29, 2018, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. I attended two lectures, two panels, one fiction writing seminar, one author reading, and the guest of honor presentation.
They held the Confluence Conference from August 4 to August 6, 2017, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. I attended seven panels, one writing workshop, one author reading, and the guest of honor presentation.
Recap for the Confluence SF Conference on July 30 and July 31, 2016, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. I attended 15 panels and the U.S.S. Improvise improv sketch comedy routine.
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #13 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold is the thirteenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and Ekaterine are racing back from their honeymoon to witness 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.
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold.
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?
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 Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 25, 2025, to July 27, 2025. They had the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA.
Writing Progress from July 2025.
I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for July 2025, which I linked below.
In July 2025, I presented the short story named Erebus Project to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in July 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 July 2025.
I attended the Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 25, 2025, to July 27, 2025. They had 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.
In August 2025, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for August 2025.
I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in August 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 August 2025, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Planned Events for August 2025.
The next conference I plan to attend is the Capclave Conference, held near Wahington D. C. from September 19, 2025, to September 21, 2025. They will have the conference at the Rockville Hilton in Rockville, MD. I attended the Capclave in 2016. Looking forward to going again.
I attended the 38th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference 2025 on March 25, 2023. 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 134 attendees.
Saturday, March 25th at 9:40 AM
Keynote Speaker Topic: Building a Writing Community.
The keynote speaker was Abby L. Vandiver. She is a self-published author of twenty novels plus several other books traditionally published.
Abby worked at Cleveland Clinic but lost her job and decided to write a book. She is a hybrid author publishing both self and traditionally. The way to success is when you tell yourself that I am a writer.
She learned certain truths of writing life. We have doubts and that’s ok. We strive for perfection even though that is impossible. Staring at the computer is part of your job. We are reluctant to show our work until it is just right, but that is the wrong way. Get it out there, share your work.
Find out what you need to get you in the mood to write and do that.
Find your reason why you write. Sharing is important to finding your tribe of like-minded readers and writers. Find a challenge partner and your community.
They held the talk in the meeting room A/B/C with about 134 attendees.
Saturday, March 25th at 3:00 PM
Breakout Session: Writing a Book in 30 Days.
The presenter was Abby L. Vandiver. She is a self-published and traditionally published author.
Abby writes mysteries (dead bodies) and trillers (potential dead bodies). There’s nothing new under the sun, so you need to find a hook. Writing is hard but NANOWRIMO could help kickstart you with the goal of writing 50 thousand words in a month.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Find your balance. What aspects do you need to write a novel? Think about story, research, characters, plot, setting, and point of view.
Main reasons that novels are left unfinished are unsure of direction to go, missing character motivation, lack of self-motivation, and seeking perfection. Get that first draft written, then you will have something to edit.
Reread a book you like and think about its construction as a writer to help you in your writing journey. Know your ending so you know where you are going.
They held the talk in the writer’s center meeting room with about 40 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
I enjoyed attending the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2023. I also attended the conference in 2019, 2022, 2023 (they canceled the conference in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19), 2024, and 2025. My Star of the Con was Abby L. Vandiver. Both of her talks were well thought out and inspiring.
Links
I attended the 40th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference 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.
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.
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 Gerald’s Game by Stephen King, Jessie has a problem. Her husband, Gerald, likes to play games, the ones that end up with her handcuffed to the bedpost. What happens when they are at their isolated lake house, Gerald cuffs Jessie to the bed, and Gerald becomes incapacitated? Will Jessie escape before she goes crazy, or will she die of dehydration?
Summary
Jessie and Gerald play sexual games involving Jessie being restrained. She doesn’t always like his games, but Gerald has reasons he likes them, and Jessie has reasons that she complies. They go to their isolated lake house in the off-season for a special getaway. Gerald handcuffs her to the bed and gets ready for a session. Jessie is not feeling it and wants him to let her go. He pretends her protests are part of the games. Gerald is incapacitated, and it might have been partially Jessie’s fault. She is trapped.
As time passes, she hears the voices of her split personality and those of other people she has known in her life. She also has flashbacks with her father when they witnessed an eclipse when she was young. It was a pivotal point in her life. Then she sees or imagines a man staring at her in the corner.
An abandoned dog provides an alternate point of view. It is a companion and adversary for Jessie.
Recommendation
Gerald’s Game by Stephen King is an intense psychological thriller. Jessie is stressed to the point of finally facing the psychological trauma she experienced as a child. Her escape attempts were described well. I also watched the Netflix movie based on the book. I thought the filmmaker made interesting choices in portraying Jessie’s inner voices and utilizing the dog. Carla Gugino playing Jessie was fabulous. Something about the ending in the book and the movie felt tacked on to me. Was this a thriller, horror, or something else?
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Gerald’s Game by Stephen King.
In Thinner by Stephen King, Billy accidentally kills an old gypsy woman. Her father curses him to lose weight until he dies. Can Billy reverse the curse, or will he wither and die?
In The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer’s mother is dying. He must find the mythical Talisman, found in a parallel world named the Territories, to save her. He must pass many challenges to obtain his goal. Will Jack find the Talisman in time to save his mother from death?
It is by Stephen King and has seven kids who face horror. As adults, they face it again. Will the Losers Club defeat the hidden evil in the Derry sewers, or will they perish?
In The Waste Lands by Stephen King, Roland and his group search for a way to the Dark Tower. They find the city of Lud and the way forward. Will Roland and his gunslingers continue their path to the Dark Tower, or will they fail?
Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.
