March Update

February was filled with a lot of collecting artwork for the Kickstarter, trying to finish the Colonel Lieutenant, and just knocking things off my to-do list. That being said, I think I could have knocked a few more off. I’d like to see new goals for next month: finish some games and projects I’ve been working on and starting new things. So, I’m highlighting the goals from each one I absolutely want to get done.

Writing

I worked some on the Champion Bold manuscript, but most of my work this month has been on the Kickstarter campaign. I can do the prep-work, the text, and the planning, but I need to accumulate some artwork to get it done. Art isn’t something I do well, so it’s contacting artists on Fiverr and commissioning the work.

I’m closing in on a full draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. I imported the scenes I needed from previous drafts, now I just need to link everything, and start ironing out the story. Just a lot of grunt work.

Because of my focus on the two big projects, I didn’t get too much done with the minor projects. But that’s okay; they’re minor projects for a reason.

February Goals

  • GET KICKSTARTER FOR CHAMPION BOLD RUN
  • Get Complete Draft of The Colonel Lieutenant
  • Knock Ten Things off my Minor Activity List
  • NEXT WRITING PROCESS BLOG POST

Reading

I completed only one book this month, a non-fiction book called the Empires of the Steppes. The book is about the various people and empires that rose on the Eurasian Steppe and how they influenced and interacted with the empires around them. I read it as research for my fantasy stories, and it included a great deal of useful information.

Moved through another section of chapters for the audiobook of The Count of Monte Cristo. The book has moved into the revenge phase, where the Count is putting his plans in motion. So far, I haven’t figured out what he’s going to do, but things are moving along.

February Goals

  • FINISH THE LAST TUDOR
  • Finish One Other Fiction Book
  • Finish One Non-Fiction Book

Movies and Shows

I continued to work through new episodes of Masters of the Air as they come out. I still liked this show. It follows characters in such a way we get to experience the terror of combat, the frustrations of command, and the anxiety of being shot town to escape or be captured. Two more episodes, and we’ll see how it ends.

Ran through a chunk of episodes of the Expanse. The story is growing on me, especially now that many of the disparate characters are coming together. I do hope all the villains of the story get some sort of comeuppance, but we’ll see.

Finished Season 1 and into Season 2 of Halo. I still have mixed feelings about this show, though it’s a mixture of anger and whatever feeling translates as ‘where are you going with this and can you pull it off?’ I don’t want to give spoilers about the show, but how I interpret the season as a whole will be decided by how they end it. If everything comes together, it could be cool. I don’t know that it could be great.

The only new movie I sat down to watch this month was The Marvels, the newest MCU movie. I had heard not great things about this movie, but I disagree. Yes, there are a lot of things they could fix, and some things that don’t make sense, but it was a fun movie. The characters worked well together. And I hope to see many of the characters in future installments.

February Goals

  • Watch two movies
  • FIRST EXPANSE SEASON 3 AND 4
  • Finish three other season

Games

It’s weird that Gears of War Tactics doesn’t hold my attention for long. It has so much I should enjoy. I played through two story missions and the supporting missions needed to advance. I believe I have four story missions to go. I’d really like to finish this and move on to a new game.

I’m also picking away at Red Dead Redemption 2. I’m usually not a fan of games where you play criminals and outlaws. In this game, it depends on the mission. Some of the missions don’t sit well, but others are fun to play through. I can’t say I get all the mechanics, however. Some things just never seem to work for me.

In terms of RPG’s, one of my Pathfinder games is taking a break and switching over to Delta Green. Sunday night ‘Quest for the Frozen Flame’ continues to be fun, and I’ve started the Monday night Pathfinder 2 game, which I’ve titled Atonement. The players really got into character creation, and they’re off on the story. I am excited to see what we do with it.

February Goals

  • Ten Hours of Red Dead Redemption 2
  • FINISH GEARS OF WAR TACTICS
  • Start another Story Game

What’s Next

I’ve got two events.

Minicon 57, the weekend of 29th to 31st. I’ll have a small table for selling books and access to the Kickstarter.

On April 13th, I’m running a Pop-Up Bookstore at Number Twelve Cider. Four hours, fifteen authors, and lots of fun.

March will be focused on the Kickstarter. I want to get that up, because up means publishing.

Wish me luck.

Cheers!

Michael

February 24 Update

January was a busy month, dominated by processing the first Beta responses to Champion Bold, working on the Kickstarter campaign, and closing in on a readable draft of the Colonel Lieutenant.

Writing

I’ve started getting Beta reader responses to Champion Bold, which has been positive. A few good points they’ve brought up for me to clarify, which is the point of Beta readers. I’m putting together the Kickstarter campaign, and I’m hoping to have that up this month or in March.

Continuing to work towards a completed draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. I’ve got the arcs worked out, now it’s just a point of writing the scenes, and then ironing out the story so it’s coherent.

I’ve been working on other projects. Writing a scene here, some world building there. Just some little bits to break up the routine when I need to mix it up. I did get the first post up about my writing process, which I’m glad I finally got out.

February Goals

  • Champion Bold: Finish incorporating Beta responses
  • Champion Bold: Get Kickstarter Up
  • The Colonel Lieutenant: Complete Draft
  • Blog: Get one non-update and non-book report post up
  • Other: Knock 10 things off my minor writing list

Reading

I finished the paranormal espionage thriller Declare by Tim Powers. This book was phenomenal. It was a good mix of ancient mythology, modern spycraft, and with a story that was told simultaneously in the 1940’s and the 1960’s. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories adjacent to the Cthulhu mythos.

With that done, I shifted over to try to finish A Fire Upon the Deep, which I had an eBook from Libby but couldn’t finish in time. I picked up a cheap paperback copy to finish. Now, if you want to know anything about this book, it is one where you have to infer a lot of the rules of the story from how the characters respond to things. There’s not a lot of exposition. It can make it frustrating to not understand the rules as well as the characters do. But we’ll see how it ends.

Still working through The Count of Monte Cristo as my audiobook. I know so little about this story I have no idea how it’s going to end, and I’m almost halfway through. I have so many questions about who he’s going to get revenge on and how. Even though the main character’s a bit of a Mary Sue, I don’t care. It works.

February Goals

  • Finish Fire Upon the Deep
  • Start new fictional book
  • Start new non-fiction book

Movies and Shows

I didn’t watch too many new episodes this month. Added a few episodes of the Expanse, which continues to be a good show I just can’t really get into. The last episode I watched was so intense (and upsetting) I had to take a long break. There are still a lot of elements to the show I like, and I appreciate its quality. I just can’t binge it.

I started watching The Halo TV show on the advice of a friend. I’m only a few episodes in. I’ve got mixed feelings so far. The opening sequence – a Covenant attack on a human settlement – was brutal to watch, which really set the tone well. That was great. And Halsey is a fun character. The parts that haven’t worked for me are the uber-fascist feel of the government and the chosen-one trope they’ve given the Master Chief. We’ll see how it ends.

I also started Masters of the Air, the new show about the USAAF in World War 2. Only three episodes in, but I appreciate that the view is from squadron and group leaders, meaning I’m getting a good view of how these raids were organized and led in the air. Most other stories I’ve read have been about individual aircraft and their crews (looking at you, Memphis Belle).

February Goals

  • Finish Halo Season One
  • Finish Expanse Season Two and Three
  • Finish One Marvel TV Show
  • Watch Two new movies

Games

I finished the campaign to Anno 1800 this month. It was a good campaign that teaches the players most of the base mechanics of the game. I want to try playing it past the end date to see how far I can take it, but it does take a lot of time.

Advanced a few missions through Gears Tactics. I feel like if I can set aside a night to just play this game, I could probably knock it out and then be done with it.

I started Red Dead Redemption II. This game follows an outlaw in the end of the wild west. So far I’m liking it, particularly that there is a mechanic where I can choose how honorable or despicable I can be. We’ll see how it comes out.

RPG wise, most of the campaigns are continuing along nicely. But the exciting news is that I get to take out the every-other Monday night game with a campaign idea I’ve been working on for a while I’m really excited to get this one to the table, and nervous to see if I can get the game to run the way I hope. Right now everyone is in character development, which is a lot of fun to partake in. I’ll let you know how it all goes.

February Goals

  • Finish Gears Tactics
  • 20 Hours of Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Start another PC Story Game

What’s Next?

I’ve got two events coming up.

Minicon 57, the weekend of March 29th to 31st. There I will have a table selling my books and likely have something up about upcoming publications.

On April 13th, I’ll be running a Pop-Up Bookstore at Number Twelve Cider. It’ll be a four-hour event, but it should be a lot of fun.

So that’s it. Two events to plan for, a game to process, two books to bring to publication, and a lot of work to do. Should be fun.

Cheers!

Michael

Writing Process 1: Too much pantsing

**This is the first post in a series on my writing process, how I’ve analyzed and adjusted it over the last few years. More posts will follow.**

Over the last few years, as I’ve worked to bring more titles to publication, I’ve had to face the fact that I’m not an efficient writer. My process involved too much stopping, too much re-writing, too much back and forth. I’m not happy with it. But this is not a question of writing more or writing harder. It’s about creating more efficiently.

I want to write more, and I want to write better. I feel like most creators understand how life and interrupt the process, sucking up our time and our energy, until we are looking for ten or fifteen minutes to sit down and do something for ourselves.

In this first post, I will look at how I found my writing process to be lacking. I will discuss what I found my problems were. And I will mention some initial steps I took to improve it.

2024: Planned and Actual

When I was publishing my first book, Renaissance Calling, back in 2017, I made up a list of everything I wanted to publish. It was — and still is — an extensive list. 30 plus books, including short story collections. The list included six sequels to my book, two prequel books and three short-story collections. There were three different science fiction universes, and two fantasy worlds. Many historical fiction stories and series spanning the course of human history.

Like I said, extensive.

I sat down and created a schedule built on the idea that it would take me six months to write a rough draft, and six months to revise a rough draft for publication. When I finished one rough draft and moved it to the revision phase, I would start another. Under the plan, I would publish two books a year, every year, basically for the rest of my life.

So, as 2024 starts, I was scheduled to have published at least thirteen books.

I’ve done two.

What went wrong?

Pantser vs Planner

Most discussions of writing process include the descriptions of pantsers and planners. This post will also discuss the difference. If you don’t know what those words mean, let me explain.

A pantser is someone who writes off the cuff. They let the story surprise them, developing in the moment as they write, They may have an outline they follow, but it’ll be broad, and subject to change in the moment.

A planner is the opposite. They plan extensively before they write a single word. Every scene will be plotted and planned, and when they write they’re just executing the outline.

Most people fall between these extremes. As a writer, I tend to fall to the pantser side of the equation. I write and let the story develop.

And that was my problem. A poor writing process.

There go my pants

The benefit of a pantser is that I often inspired while writing. Just this morning, I was writing a scene that I expected to end with the character making a decision, but while writing I realized she had a different option available that made more sense. Great, right?

Sure, in this case.

The problem arises when I hit something that makes me stop writing completely. What is this character’s code name? How does this historical process work? Why is this event I just mentioned important and what does it mean?’

These sorts of questions will stop me cold. I one spent an entire lunch hour contemplating one character’s code name. Not efficient whatsoever.

The pants fell down and tripped me up.

Making changes

Between my first book and second, I made several changes to my writing process that started shifting me away from pantser. I would work out characters names beforehand. If I knew something was important for the story, I would research it and be ready. Little things that planners do naturally.

Little changes are good, but if I want to publish more, I need to be much more efficient. A book every four or five years isn’t enough. My main series (planned for seven books) would take thirty years to publish. And I have other stories I want to tell. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Historical.

I need to make bigger changes for the future.

I need better plans.

PBRG

Acknowledging that my writing process isn’t working, I developed a system for my future projects that I call PBRG. Next post, I will describe this new system and give an overview of what it looks like.

Until next time, keep writing.

Cheers!

Michael

January 24 Update

December was busy, not only with writing projects but with holiday events.

Writing

My work on Champion Bold was to continue run the story through a decent editor program. Turns out the Scrivener, as great as it is for writing and organizing, has a terrible spellchecker and no grammar program to speak of. Nothing I can’t work through, but it took some time.

With the Colonel Lieutenant, I wrote and worked through the middle section of the book, connecting the threads between the beginning and the end. I’m close to having a draft ready for heavy revisions, if I can just sit down and knock it out.

I snipped at my various other projects last month. I added research notes, wrote more chapters, and did world building exercises to prepare the secondary projects for if and when they become primary. I’m also working on several extra blog posts for the year that are something other than monthly updates and book reports.

January Goals

  • Prepare Kickstarter Campaign for Champion Bold
  • Complete Draft of the Colonel Lieutenant
  • Knock 10 things off my Secondary Project List
  • Post one writing blog post

Movies and Shows

I finished Loki Season 2 this month. It was quite an exciting ride, one that stretched the rules of the multi-verse and time travel as the MCU seems to use it. It was a bit of a shame I didn’t remember many aspects of the first season, because there were parts of the second that didn’t connect as well as they should have. Still, it was a fun show to watch.

Next came Good Omens Season 2. This was the opposite of Loki, in that I really enjoyed the first season, so I was excited for the second. I was curious what they’d do for their second season, given that they would have to come up with a whole new story within their universe. The story they told was a fun mystery. I think they might have relied a little heavily on flashbacks, but I still loved it. I’m looking forward to Season 3.

Continuing to work through the Expanse. I’m past the episodes I’ve seen and I’m into new episodes, though still in the Second Season. Oddly enough, I found the show more likable once I got past the last episode I saw; I guess I stopped just one episode short of the crest. Still, I’m liking how the factions develop, and how the characters are surviving (or not).

January Goals

  • Finish Two Seasons of the Expanse
  • Finish one other TV show
  • Watch one new movie
  • Complete one remaining Best Picture Winner (Coda or Nomadland)

Books

Oddly enough, I didn’t finish reading any books in December. My reason has to do in part with trying the Libby app to get free ebooks. Since I only have the books for three weeks, and I have to fit them into my current reading schedule, I started several but didn’t finish. I’ll have to wait for the next renewals to come through and then power through. But I did start several books.

Top of this list is Declare, a paranormal thriller set during and after World War 2. The story is set in two different timelines. The later timeline is happening in 1963, where the characters are dealing with the end results of their actions in the previous timeline, set in the 1940’s. It’s a nice mixture of spycraft and Lovecraft.

Also on the list, I started (and stopped due to Libby timeout) The Last Tudor, the next novel in the Philippa Gregory series. The novel follows the the short reign of Lady Jane Grey — Queen of England for only nine days before Mary and Elizabeth — and then her sister Katherine, who lives through the early days of Elizabeth’s reign. I was enjoying the book before it times out; I look forward to getting back into it.

All the other books I’ve been picking at the last month were research books for one project or another. Gathering notes and assembling stories. Good times.

January Goals

  • Finish one eBook
  • Finish one physical book
  • Finish one research book

Games

I completed the story for Farcry 6, where I played Dani, a revolutionary who is fighting for the liberation of her island, Yara, from the oppression of a cruel dictator. I’ll be honest, I was disappointed with the ending. all through the story, characters were discussing what would happen when the revolutionaries won. How it wouldn’t be easy or bloodless. And when they get there, and the story just skipped over any consequences.

Not much else to bring up for gaming last month. Worked through a few more sections of both Anno 1880 and Gears of War Tactics. Didn’t lose any RPG characters. Had some ideas for campaigns or encounters I added to my list of ‘wouldn’t it be cool?’ Still, glad to knock one story game off my list.

January Goals

  • Finish one story game
  • Get into Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Have fun

What’s Next

I have a table at Minocon 57 the last weekend of March. I’m hoping to get a Books and Beer even in sometime soon. And I’ll be prepping for the next Kickstarter campaign for Champion Bold.

Looking to start 2024 with a boom.

Cheers!

Michael

2023 in Review

I started 2023 with a number of goals in mind. I wanted to publish a book, and revise my writing process to be more efficient. Then, I wanted to do more events. And I wanted to cross some media off my various lists.

Writing and Publishing

I accomplished a lot of writing goals this year. First, I got one draft out to Beta Readers, with a second close behind. Then, I wrote scenes for various projects, and did research and world building for others.

And while I was doing all this, I was revising my writing process. I need to write more efficiently, and by the end of the year I was. I’m planning some blog posts on the topic, but essentially I paid attention to everything that slowed me down when writing, and worked out a process to counter it before it becomes a problem.

Events

I only got two events in this year, but they were good events. One convention where I sold books, made contacts, and partook in a panel. And one pop-up bookstore.

I’ve already signed up for another convention next year, and I want to do more. I know pricing is an issue, but I’m going to have to figure something out. It’s too important to not pursue.

Media

One trade off of writing more is experiencing less. I watched fewer movies and TV shows, and played threw fewer games, than I expected to. I still read a decent amount. And now that I’m listening to podcasts, I can get some research and entertainment done while I’m working. So, while the quantity may be down, I don’t regret it.

2024

My goals for 2024 are similar to this year. Publish and get my writing out there. Do more events. And continue to enjoy the stories that are out there to experience.

So, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and supports me. It was a good year, and I look forward to next year being even better.

Cheers!

Michael

December Update

November was dominated by NaNoWriMo, finishing the Beta Draft of my SciFi novel, and prepping for the December 9th Pop-Up Bookstore.

Writing

The big news is I finished the Beta draft of my SciFi novel, now titled Champion Bold. It’s currently coming in at about 110K, so I have room to grow if the Beta readers give me some feedback. Right now I’m working on proofreading, preparing the Kickstarter campaign, and developing the cover art. I have a good idea of what I want it to look like, so I’m building it up before I send it to someone for polishing.

Continuing to wright the Beta Draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. I’ve been working through the issues and problems of consolidating the story. I’m so close to finishing it, and now that I’ve got Champion Bold off to Beta Readers I can spend more time on this one.

Other than my main projects, I continued to work on some secondary and tertiary projects. I added a scene to Orcfyre. I did a lot of world building and prep work for another SciFi project called Contrition, then wrote about 8K words in four sessions. And I did some research for two historical fiction projects.

And yes, I did get my 50K words (or equivalent) NANOWRIMO done. But, someone (yes, it was me) forgot to log the last day’s words that would have topped me over the 50K. So I didn’t get the official badges for 50K or every day logging in. It was a stupid error, but I’m moving on with my life. I’ve got a book to publish.

December Goals

  • Finish proofing Champion Bold Beta Draft
  • Finish Colonel Lieutenant Beta Draft
  • Keep working at other writing projects
  • Do one non-book review blog post

Movies and Shows

I started Loki Season 2. Now I was worried about this one because I didn’t quite understand the first season when it came out. I’ve come to understand it a bit more after a few more stories from the MCU, and Season 2 is a lot easier for me to understand. The episodes I’ve watched (the first thee or four) I’ve enjoyed.

Watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the second animated Miles Morales Spider-Man movie. I really liked this one. I don’t know that I would say it was better than the first one, but it was really good. I’m excited for the third one.

And just before the end of the month I knocked out The Suicide Squad, the success to Suicide Squad. I had some worries about this movie, mostly having to due with the character of Amanda Waller. But I think, overall, this was a better movie than the first one. It was more coherent and had a stronger cast, and while the Waller character was just as evil as the first one, she wasn’t overpowering.

December Goals

  • Finish one TV Show off my to-watch list
  • Finish one TV Show I’ve previously started
  • Watch one movie
  • Watch one Best Picture Winner (Nomadland or Coda)

Books

Not very long books, but I read through The Way it Went Down Vol 1 and 2, two collections of very short stories inspired by the Delta Green games. I read these to look for inspiration for a Delta Green/Cthulhu Mythos story idea I wanted to flesh out. They gave me a lot of ideas, not only for that but for some other creative projects.

Next came Mr Burton’s Trunk, Book 4 in the Burton House Sage. This one is a departure from the first three in several ways: it follows a male character, takes place mostly outside of England, and the romance of the book is more varied and twisted. But following the main character up the eastern seaboard, visiting former presidents and cities of the growing US, was a fun read.

The audio book I’m currently working through is the Count of Monte Cristo, which I chose after recommendations from several friends. I’m about a fifth of the way through it, and I think this book is great. I really understand why it’s stood the test of time. While some elements of it stretch imagination, it’s not as far out there as Last of the Mohicans was.

Another book I started was the SciFi novel A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. This is a SciFi story that emphasizes the Fiction part of Science Fiction. The galaxy has rules and aliens and expectations that are fascinating, but without much exposition I don’t know how to interpret many elements of the story. I feel this is going to be one of those things I’ll have to turn around and re-read once I understand the universe, so I can see everything I missed the first time.

And, just to throw it out there, I did read through one research book. The Rhetorical Art of Public Speaking. I chose this one because several writing projects I had were going to involve some form of public speaking, and I wanted to have a better idea of how the characters would go approach their speeches. It has already helped.

December Goals

  • Finish two fictional books
  • Finish one research book

Games

Other than working through the games I’m still working through, I did start a new game in November that was free to play one weekend and just grabbed my attention. That game is Anno 1880, a real-time city-building game that I’ve had my eye on for a while. The story is fun, and challenges you to learn the game without beating you up over it. We’ll see how the sand-box goes when I get around to playing it.

One of my gaming groups started a Cypher-system game set in the Peninsula-campaign of the Napoleonic era, in 1809. Coming up with a character for that game was fun, especially since one of my podcasts is about Napoleon. I built a character who really fit the times. It should be fun, and the Cypher-system is dedicated to telling stories.

The other RPG’s are still trucking along. There’s been a lot of disruption with the holidays, but that’s to be expected. We’ll see how they roll into 2024, and what games the new year will bring.

December Goals

  • Finish one story game.

What’s Next

On December 9th I’ve got the Pop-Up Bookstore at AZ Gallery. That’s the last event for the year. The next scheduled event is Easter weekend of next year.

I’m also prepping the Kickstarter campaign for Champion Bold. I don’t know when it’ll be up and running (most likely January of February), but it’s coming.

November Update

October was dominated by revisions to my Sci-Fi novel, and by a couple of Fiverr gigs I sold. I now have physical copies of several projects to read through and revise, which feels better than just reading a word doc over and over again.

Writing

I’m pretty amazed that I haven’t gotten my SciFi book out to beta readers yet. I’ve gotten so much work done on it. Not just revisions but working out the math and science of the world. I’ve got spreadsheets now that can do the calculations for me. And I’ve got ideas on some of the other publishing items that I will have to deal with: the title, cover art, Kickstarter campaign, etc. I’m just working hard and getting stuff done.

I have gotten some work on The Colonel Lieutenant done, although most of that has not been in writing but in planning and revisions of what I’ve already recorded. I want to tell a good story, and part of that is keeping it from ballooning up into another massive book. Another project I’m plugging away at.

My other projects are still there. I’m doing a few bits of work on them every week, usually planning or some minor research. Trying to get the work done before I start writing so I don’t stop writing.

November Goals

November being NaNoWriMo, I’m setting some goals to add words to many projects, and to knock the revisions for my primary projects out. I’m still close to being able to publish a new book before my next convention, though it’ll be close.

  • Sci Fi: Get Book to Beta Readers
  • Sci Fi: Title Book
  • Colonel Lieutenant: Beta Draft Plan/Work
  • Horus 1: Add 5,000 Words
  • Other Projects: Add 20,000 words / equivalent research and planning

Movies and TV Shows

The last episode of Ahsoka came out this month. It was a fantastic episode, and I really like what they did with the show. I was a bit disappointed with a few decisions they made, but not enough to knock my rating down. I hope they do more with the character in the future.

Continuing to work through The Expanse. It’s a good show, but it’s hard for me to get into. Kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones that way. I couldn’t really get into that show until it was almost over, and I had scenes I wanted to get to in the story. Maybe I should look for some spoilers in later seasons to pique my interest?

Started Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, the animated Star Trek show. This season is really bringing it. The characters got promoted, which they should have been. We’re seeing some worlds we wouldn’t have normally seen (Orion!). And the stories are just enjoyable. I’m looking forward to how it’ll keep going.

I made a point to watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once before the month ended. As I expected, I chastised myself for not watching it sooner. It reminded me a lot of a book I read by a local author, Do You Realize by Kevin Kuhn. They both hit me right in the existential feels.

November Goals

  • Finish one TV Show off my to-watch list
  • Finish one TV Show I’ve started off my to-watch list
  • Watch one Best Picture Winner I haven’t seen yet (Coda or Nomadland)
  • Watch one other moive

Books

I finished the Thrawn series with Dark Force Rising and Last Command. The overall story was exciting, though I could get nitpicky with some of the choices. It was fun to see the characters I knew again, and meet some new ones. And I’m glad that much of the story is no longer canon, as it lets Disney do new things with the characters.

Completed the Last of the Mohicans audiobook just before month’s end. My initial impressions remained through to the end. The story was extremely different than what one would expect from a story these days, and the racial wording was hard to listen to at times. I really tip my hat to whomever took that story and wrote my favorite movie from it.

November Goals

  • Finish three books
  • Get into a new audiobook
  • Completed one Study Book

Games

I didn’t get a lot of game playing done in October. It’s not because the games aren’t exiting, but I just haven’t been spending a lot of time playing video games. Younger Michael is very confused. I hope he understands.

I lost my character in Quest for the Frozen Flame. Morgar, son of Morgut, died in battle defending his party from kelpie. He was a great character with a great family to roleplay experiences with. his replacement, Nora, Daughter of Skye, is proving to be a fair warrior in her own right. Here’s hoping she lasts a right deal longer.

November Goals

  • Finish Gears of War Tactics
  • Finish FarCry 6
  • Start a new narrative game

What’s Next

I have a Pop-Up Bookstore on December 9th at AZ Gallery in St Paul. I’ll post more about that on Facebook and social media.

Book Report: The Queen’s Fool

The Queen’s Fool is Book 12 of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. Set between 1548 and 1558, the book follows Hannah Green, a fool in the service of the Royal Court. A unique character for several reasons, Hannah is has interactions with all three children of Henry VIII, and is present for the religious and political upheavals that follow Henry’s death. Her interactions are particularly interesting when it comes to Henry’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.

What I want to talk about in this post is not so much the structure and story of the book, but the three women we follow through it. Hannah, as the POV character, and then the sisters Mary and Elizabeth. With the sisters, I particularly want to discuss how their portrayal was much different than what I expected.

But first, a quick synopsis.

Synopsis

Hannah Green is a Jewish woman of Spanish descent, hiding in London with her widower father. She has a supernatural power called the Sight, a divination that allows her to tell the future of individuals or events. Hannah cannot control when it occurs, nor can she lie about what she sees.

After an event in front of a nobleman, Hannah is taken to court as a holy fool, an entertainer of sorts. While in this guise, Hannah becomes involved in the court politics, spying first on Mary Tudor, then on her sister Elizabeth. Her allies also use her Sight, attempting to foresee and influence events to their advantage.

Hannah develops relationships with Mary and Elizabeth, becoming friendly with both, though devoted to Mary. She is present with Mary for the event surrounding the rebellion of Jane Grey, Mary’s victory and subsequent coronation.

With Mary now crowned Queen of England, Hannah is eager for the future. But that future quickly sours. Mary is devoutly Catholic, and England is now largely Protestant. The religious differences drive a wedge between Mary and her people. It also causes a rift between Mary and Elizabeth, as Elizabeth is the protestant claimant to the throne and a natural opponent to Mary.

Queen Mary’s reign descends into that of Bloody Mary, with the return of the Catholic Church and the Spanish Inquisition. When an accusation of heresy threatens Hannah’s safety, she joins her family in Calais, the last English stronghold on the continent. The fall of that city later forces the last confrontation between Hannah and the two sisters.

Who is Hannah Green?

Hannah Green (born Hannah Verde) is an entirely fictional character. She is, as stated above, Spanish born, of Jewish faith (though she hides it), and possesses and intermittent divination she refers to as ‘the Sight’. She spends much of the book employed as the Queen’s Fool, (an entertainer at court) and as a spy. As a character, she has a unique point of view to watch the reign of Mary dissolve into a mess.

First, being Jewish. This is important because Hannah’s experience at hiding her faith allows her to easily adapt to whatever religion is in ascendency at the time. As a character, she can act as a Protestant or a Catholic as the situation dictates. This lets Hannah be part of an increasingly Catholic court, while fearing the rise that follows.

Second, being Spanish. Being a foreigner in the English court gives Hannah an excuse to be discounted from the normal family feuding of the court. She isn’t part of a family with a history to answer for, so she is free to make her own connections. It also means that when King Phillip and the Inquistion come to England, she views their arrival with different eyes than the Catholic Mary. She knows what they bring.

Third, Hannah’s progressive feminist attitudes. Hannah is not interested in being feminine, either in a common or noble sense. She doesn’t wear dresses or gowns and knows little about how to work in a kitchen or garden. She knows about selling and trading books, about playing a court fool, and about the politics of court. As such, she has a belief that women are capable of much more than what they’re generally believed capable of.

The first two points allow Hannah to be present in the story without getting caught up in the tides of it. They let the Hannah be the reader’s eyes. The third point is about Hannah’s concept of a queen, which I’ll get into with the two sisters in a moment here.

Queen Mary

Portrait of Queen Mary I of England by Anthonis Mor, 1554

Queen Mary is the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. She is a devout Catholic, like her mother. She becomes queen in 1553 and rules for several years. Due to her attempts to reintroduce Catholicism, and the violence that introduction incurs, she is often known as Bloody Mary. That’s what I knew her as before starting this book.

Hannah’s view on Mary is one of love and compassion. This is a woman who has spent her life prepared to die for her beliefs. She is strong and capable, and wants to be a good queen. But her reign is marred by tragedies that are, ultimately, her own fault.

The Tragedy of Wisdom

The first tragedy of Mary is that for all her suffering, she has gained no wisdom.

Mary suffered during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Only the conviction of her faith carried her through many humiliations and embarrassments, until such time as she could take the throne. That conviction was admirable when she was the victim.

But that conviction carries Mary from the new queen to the bloody one. Being a Catholic Queen, Mary sees it as her responsibility to bring England back to the church. But she’s now ruling a strong protestant nation, that resists the reunion as much as elements of the nation resisted the separation a generation earlier.

If I hadn’t known how the history would end, I would have hoped that Mary would have learned not to push the issue of religion. Or to wield the power of her station with more grace than she does. Hannah sees Mary want to display that wisdom, when she looks for reasons not to execute Jane Gray and her sister. But ultimately, Mary refuses to be any more graceful with her power than her predecessors were.

The Tragedy of Strength

The second tragedy of Mary is that for all her ability, she is firm in her belief that as a woman, she shouldn’t wield it.

No sooner is she crowned queen than Mary beings to wonder about a king. Part of this is no surprise: Mary needs to have children, and that requires a consort. But as Mary points out, once she has a king, he becomes the King of England as well, and her superior as her husband. And while she indicates she isn’t entirely happy about that, she never questions that’s how it must be.

Hannah does question it. She sees Mary’s strength and ability. She understands the need for an heir, but not why Mary must automatically become less of a leader to her country because she marries. Her own personal journey influences this journey as much as anything else. She questions why any woman – Hannah or Mary – must be subservient. But while Hannah refuses to accept that role, Mary embraces it.

Part of the tragedy is that we’re aware of how her sister, Elizabeth, managed to be a Queen without a King. Mary, at least as Hannah sees her, has the strength and ability to be a queen without a king, but she refuses to see it.

The Tragedy of Connection

Finally, there is the tragedy that Mary, having lost her loving family as a child, never builds one as an adult.

Mary does eventually find a king: Philip II of Spain. But while Mary comes to the marriage as a willing wife, Philip sees the marriage as a political act. He brings her none of the warmth she believes a husband should, and she becomes more depressed by that absence as he campaigns on the continent.

The couple do try for children, which results in two false pregnancies. Mary is particularly devastated by these failures, which she sees as punishment for leading a protestant nation. Not only does Mary respond with excessive prayer, but it leads to increased persecution of her population.

Finally, the one family member Mary is left with, Elizabeth, draws further away from her. Elizabeth is a protestant, and in this book is a constant member of the schemes against Mary. Mary wants Elizabeth to join her faith, and to marry her off as one does with princesses. But Elizabeth refuses to comply, and for all their past affection, the two are now rivals. Especially as Elizabeth, as the next in line and a Protestant, is a threat to everything Mary is trying to fix.

Princess Elizabeth

Mary may see Elizabeth as a threat to what she’s trying to fix, but for most of the nation, Elizabeth is the next step in the separation Henry VIII and Edward VI were enforcing.

Elizabeth as a Teenager, by William Scrots, c 1546

Princess Elizabeth is the second daughter of King Henry VIII by his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She is a Protestant, following the faith of her father and most of England. in the book she is constantly scheming against her sister, plotting for the throne and then feigning innocence when the plots fall apart. For a queen I’ve only ever seen in a positive light, a negative portrayal was quite a surprise.

Hannah sees Elizabeth as a very promiscuous and devious princess. She is constantly flirting with the men of the court, even King Philip after his marriage to Mary. She is plotting and scheming to raise rebellion against Mary. But never does she suffer any serious consequences. Elizabeth is able to bluff her way out of execution, remaining in exile from the court for most of the book.

Yet, it’s important to remember that this is how Elizabeth survives. Where Mary passively endured, Elizabeth actively plots. *

Conclusion

This post is about the three women of The Queen’s Fool: Hannah Green, Queen Mary, and Princess Elizabeth. There are many things from the book I didn’t cover. There’s a whole plot with Hannah and her father and betrothed, musings on what it means to be Jewish in Christian Europe, and Hannah’s developing concept of romantic love.

The Queen’s Fool brought a unique POV character and two new twists on historical characters I already knew. The use of a third-party character to experience the era was a great choice on the part of the author. And the Sight was a fun mechanic to experience. All in all, a fun book to read.

Only three more books in the series. How exciting.

October Update

After a couple of disappointing months, September was fantastically productive. I’ve gotten a full Beta draft of the SciFi novel done, I’ve knocked a number of things off my to-watch list, and I made good progress on vide games and other projects.

Writing

First off, fantastic news. I finished a Beta Draft of my untitled Science Fiction novel. There’s still a lot of work ahead of my, but I’m within shouting distance of publishing. My goals for the month are to iron the book out and get it to some Beta readers, and work on the supporting work I need to do to get it ready for a Kickstarter campaign and publishing.

I got some work done on The Colonel Lieutenant, but most of my focus was on the Sci-Fi novel. I am printing off the chapters I’ve written so I can start processing and working out what I need to do to get it ready for its own publication.

I’ve picked at the other projects on my list, mostly doing research or building up the background and world building. The sort of things I should be doing before I get to writing. The idea is that when I get to writing the projects, I’ll have most of the support work done and I won’t stop and start so much.

October Goals

  • Iron Sci-Fi novel, get it to Beta Reader
  • Work out plan for The Colonel Lieutenant
  • Add 5,000 words to Fantasy novel
  • Keep plugging away at other projects

Movies and TV Shows

I continue to watch through the Ahsoka series with excitement. I’ll admit it is a more subtle show than I was expecting, especially when it comes to Ahsoka’s part in the story. But they obviously respect the elements they’re bringing together for the show (the characters from Rebels and Thrawn) and they’re telling a fun story. I’m excited to see the last episode.

I started and finished Ted Lasso this month. I’d heard good things about the show, and I was not disappointed. It was a hilarious show that had a lot of good character growth across all three seasons. Although I would say the last season may had a lot of missteps before it found its way.

Next I decided to re-start The Expanse, which I started some time ago but wasn’t able to finish because I don’t have Amazon Prime. Luckily my library has the discs I need to start and get through the series. I’ve read the first book, and several of my friends really like the show. This time I mean to finish it.

October Goals

  • Finish two TV shows off to-watch list
  • Watch one missing Best Picture Winner
  • Watch one movie off to-watch list

Books

I read through the Queen’s Fool, book 12 in Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. Following a fictional character through the tumult of Queen Mary’s reign, i found this book to be very exciting and a fun read. I’ll have the book report up sometime this month.

I then started the second of Timothy Zahn’s original Thrawn series, Dark Force Rising. This follows the same plotlines of the first book, with the Grand Admiral plotting the destruction of the Republic and the heroes investigating and responding to the threat. I’m maybe half-way through right now, so we’ll see how it goes.

And if we’re talking books, I’m going to add the audiobook I’m listening to right now, which is the classic Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I chose this one because the 1992 movie is my favorite movie and I wanted to listen to the book. It is rough to listen to. Not only does the story meander a lot (a product of two-centuries of changes in story expectations), but the representation of native culture can be painful to listen to. I had to find a synopsis website to help me understand what I was reading.

October Goals

  • Finish one library book
  • Finish one book I own
  • Read one research book

Games

Not much to report in terms of videos games. I’ve continued working through both Gears of War: Tactics and FarCry 6, but I didn’t finish either of them. It’s odd to think that I have to work to find time to play video games, but I have a lot of other things I’m working on.

The RPG games are going well. We did start a new Pathfinder 2E game set in a world we played in back in high school, so that’s fun. My characters are sill alive for all my active campaigns. And I’m picking at the various campaigns I want to run, just so that I’m ready if and when I get to run them.

October Goals

  • Finish Gear of War Tactics
  • Keep trying at FarCry 6.
  • Start another computer story game

What’s Next

October will be all about getting my SciFi book ready for publishing, and pushing my other writing projects forward. And I’d like to get a bead on some good events to get into next year. But mostly, the publishing thing.

Cheers!

Michael

September Update

August went by fast. It was dominated by a Fiverr order that had me writing several histories of wars set in a client’s fantasy world. It was a fun experience, but did take up a chunk of time.

Writing

My work on Book 3 this month was focused on the last Act. I have the beginning I want, but the middle is suffering because I don’t know where I want it to end. So by working out where I want it to end, I know what I need to build up in the middle. Some writing, a lot of planning. I’d really like to get more done this next September.

With my Lightstar Sci-Fi book, I missed my mark of having a Beta Copy done. Much like Book 3, I have the first half and the last act, so I need to get the two to connect somehow. To this end, I’ve pringted off copies of the scenes I like and my goal this month will be to work to connect the two ends in the middle.

I only added about a thousand words to my Fantasy novel last month. I want to write it, but since it’s the furthest project from done, it’s lowest priority. I’m still picking at it.

For other projects, I’m keeping my promise of outlining, plotting and researching and not writing until I have a much better idea of what I’ll be writing. My goals is that when I finish one of my current projects and move on the next, the next project goes a lot quicker.

September Goals
  • Book 3: Finish Last Act, work out bridges between beginning and end.
  • Lightstar: Get book to Beta Readers
  • Fantasy: Add 5,000 words.
  • Other Projects: Keep outlining and planning

Movies and TV Shows

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy 3. I enjoyed it. It was a fun movie, with a lot of action sequences and a villain that I really liked. Plus, it ended each character’s story at a place where they could or could not come back to the MCU.

I finished the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This season had several episodes I really enjoyed, including the crossover with Lower Decks and the musical episode. There were a few I’m okay not seeing again, but every season had those. Overall, I liked it and I look forward to a third season.

I started Ahoska, and at the time of this post I’ve seen the first three episodes. I’m not sure what to think yet. It has a lot of cool sequences, and so far it’s done a good job of honoring the characters its brought in from previous shows. But so far it is a lot of build up, and I don’t know the payoff yet. I’m optimistic (look at how Andor finished) but I’ve been burned before (look at Boba Fett).

September Goals
  • Watch two new movies
  • Cross two shows off my list

Books

I finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes eBook I’d been reading. My final impression is the same as I reported last month: it’s a bunch of fun short stories from a time with different storytelling expectations. Some of them I figured out early one, some I didn’t. A lot of them had the ‘gotcha’ endings that bug me. Maybe next time I’ll read a longer book of his and see how it goes.

The next book I read was from the library, called The Siege of Washington by John and Charles Lockwood. This is a history book about Washington, DC, at the start of the Civil War, before volunteers showed up and there was a real fear that southern forces would capture the city. I really, really liked this book. I even added it to my ‘buy this’ list. Why? Well, because it gets into the decision of the first 12 days of the war, and why some of them paid of and why some of them didn’t. I’d almost do a blog post on it but I’ve got enough on my plate right now.

Finally, I read through the Star Wars book Heir to the Empire. The series that introduced Thrawn to the Star Wars universe, it’s part of the old Expanded Universe that was dissolved when Disney bought Star Wars from George Lucas. I know Thrawn from some of the newer books Timothy Zahn has written, and from the Rebels show, so now I get to see how he started. All in all it was a good book, with an old-school Star Wars feel that brought me back to some of the EU books I read in middle school. It’s book one of three, so I have more ahead of me.

September Goals
  • Finish one library book
  • Finish one book from my own collection
  • Finish one research book

Games

Working through FarCry6, which I expect to take a while. FarCry games have a huge open-world component to them, with massive towns, mountain ranges, and deep forests to explore. Even focusing on the story only has me running across miles of territory. Plus, I like the fact that it’s in a Hispanic Caribbean island nation. The main character isn’t an American, and the dialogue has a lot of Spanish thrown in.

I think I’m about a halfway through the campaign of Gears of War Tactics. It’s not that I’m not enjoying the game, but I don’t find myself gaming on the computer as much as I used to. Part of the challenge is that you can’t advance the story missions until you fight side missions to level up and equip your characters. So sometimes I spend a night playing through a mission or two, and don’t feel like I’ve done much.

My RPG games are moving along nicely. Caw-Pow, Montague and Morgad are all still alive and kicking. I even got to try out a new system this month, called Traveller. I hadn’t heard of it before, or if I had I don’t recall the conversation. The character creation is fun: you roll stats, and then roll through several years of your life to see how you grow. Do you go to college? What happens there? Do you graduate? Etc. Apparently you can even die in character creation. Good times.

in related news, I might be running a short Cypher system game that’s set in 1st Century CE Gaul. It’s going to have the feel of a superhero campaign in the Roman empire. This will actually be my second time running it; the first time fell apart kind of quickly, so I have some lessons to learn. Then I get to try again.

September Goals
  • Finish Gears of War Tactics
  • Advance FarCry 6
  • Don’t lose a PC

What’s Next?

September is going to be focused on getting one of my two book projects to a readable draft. I think the SciFi novel is closest, but both are within quick distance. So I will hit both of them and see how far I get. My goal of publishing early next year is still well within reason.

Until next post, keep on writing!

-Michael

The tale of an author, and his blog.