Monthly Update

December Update

Leave a comment

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

LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

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.

Monthly Update

November Update

1 Comment

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.

Review

Book Report: The Queen’s Fool

Leave a comment

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.

Monthly Update

October Update

Leave a comment

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

Monthly Update

September Update

Leave a comment

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

Review

Last of Us: Video Game to Screen

Leave a comment

I’ve always been fascinated by how stories change when they shift mediums. Usually, I watch books I’ve read come to screen. But with The Last of Us, there’s a chance to see how a great video game story can become a great show. I’ve worked through both the game and the show recently, and I wanted to write down some thoughts I had. Simply put, The Last of Us is a good example of how a studio can take a game and turn it into a show.

The Last of Us Poster

If you don’t know anything about The Last of Us, a quick synopsis. Humanity has fallen prey to a fungal infection inspired that leaves people in a state similar to zombies. Society fell apart, leaving the survivors to fend to themselves or gather in small towns and enclaves in the ruins of cities. Two characters — a middle-ages man name Joel and a teenage girl named Ellie — have to make their way west from Boston. They fight against infected, and other people, to reach their goals.

There are three topics I’m going to cover. First, the story of the game and why it needed to change for the show. Second, the world building opportunities that changing mediums provides and what the show does with it. And third, I’m going to look at the attitudes towards violence in both game and show.

Now I’m going to do those three topics without spoilers. Then I’m going to do a fourth, spoiler section where I discuss a few things without worrying about spoilers. Feel free to skip that section.

One: Changing the Story

The common story of The Last of Us is the story of Joel and Ellie and their journey west from Boston across a land of fallen cities, fungus-fueled zombies, and factions of survivors. The game and the show tell the same story, but do so differently.

There are many reasons to change the story. For starters, there’s the obvious issue of time. The video game takes 15 hours to beat the story only, and 22 hours to play everything. Of that, roughly 90 minutes are cut-scenes instead of playing time. Add an additional few hours for the DLC. The show runs about eight and a half hours.

Doing a direct cut-scene to show translation would be too short. Doing the entire game to show would be too long. The writers had to consolidate and modify the story-line to make it fit.

Slightly less obvious is the idea that doing a replay of the game exactly is boring. Yes, the creators should hit the high points of the game. They should include the scenes that the fans enjoyed and remember with fondness. But this is a chance to add to the story, not just re-tell it on camera.

I like most of the differences in the story the show does (beyond the World Building and Violence that I’ll discuss later). One big change is they streamline the story, consolidating several events into one scene to save on time and exposition. A second change is to modify the context around an event, so its impact on the story is the same but the specifics of how and why are different. The game and the show tell the same story, but each in a unique way.

Did you notice I said I liked “most” of the differences? Yeah, there were some things they did that I wasn’t happy with. One or two key scenes that they changed in such a way that they didn’t have the same impact as their game counterparts. Not enough to seriously hamper my enjoyment, but enough that I took note. But hey, nothing’s perfect.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey from The Last of Us. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

Two: World Building

World Building means expanding the setting beyond what we know from the game. If the Story has Joel and Ellie leaving Boston, World Building is telling us more about Boston. This is an area where the show’s creators can take as much or as little from the game as they want, or need to, in order to tell their story.

The video game has two different extremes with world building. One on end is the world built by playing the bare minimum of the game, with everything every player will experience. The other end includes every found artifact, hard to reach vantage point, and unique conversation the player can possibly uncover, usually through great time and effort. The player must experience the one, but has to work to uncover the other.

Shows have the one world every viewer will see. This has its tradeoffs. The world is built more tightly to the narrative, but the excess details are lost. Like the story section, the show has the chance to build a slightly different world, if not outright contradictory. They need to support the story they’re telling, and if that means clashing with the game world, so be it.

The World Building can be further divided into three section: history, locations and specific characters.

History

The history part we can get through pretty quick. The show spends more time exploring the world before the game. There several scenes that take place before the pandemic that are completely new. They provide a context for the pandemic that the game doesn’t, something a viewing audience would expect.

Locations

It’s hard to describe how the show builds the locations different from the game without describing the people, so I want to point out here that this section will make references to the populations and factions of cities. This is meant to be separate from the individual, named characters I’ll get to in a moment.

The Last of Us uses the same sequence of eight locations as the game. The one big change is that the fourth location changes from Pittsburgh to Kansas City, but fulfills the same narrative role in the story.

For The Last of Us, the show makes an effort to humanize and give depth to the locations. The black-helmeted soldiers of Boston are no longer generic neo-fascist villains; now we see several of their faces, and see them reacting to the trials and fears of the world. We feel some sympathy for them and their role in their society. This change makes more sense when you consider that they are no longer some of the first opponents you fight and kill (see Violence, below). But it doesn’t contradict the game.

The Kansas City/Pittsburgh exchange is the biggest opportunity to expand on the world: the writers need to fill several story points, but otherwise have free reign to build a new location. They do so really well. The Kansas City location fills the same story development niches Pittsburgh does, but the opposing faction Joel and Ellie contend with is not a one-dimensional villain. We get why they’re doing what they’re doing, even as we hope they fail.

The other locations don’t differ too much from their game counter parts. We learn more about them, and appreciate them, but their impact on the story doesn’t change.

Named Characters

The last aspect of world building I wanted to discuss are changes to named characters. This is where the show greatly changes from the game. They need to do this to fit their story and the differing expectations of a viewing audience.

Every named character is different than their game counterpart. Some changes are small and don’t contradict the game, adding depth to even simple characters. Take the character of Maria. in the game, we know nothing about her other than her relationship to other characters and her position of leadership. in the show, we learn more about who she was before everything fell apart. We don’t know if game Maria is the same or not, and it doesn’t really matter.

Some of the characters are drastically different. Their biographies, and how they influence the show’s story, are big departures. Now, I’m not a purist. I don’t expect everything to be exactly the same. So when this happens, I ask myself, what were they trying to do? Do the changes they make work within the context of the new story?

I say yes. I say that the two biggest character departures absolutely make sense. Neither character would have worked if they’d been brought over exactly as they were from the game. Both stories would have been heavily influenced by the different expectations of violence, and one’s context was completely changed by differences in the story. This is what I’m going to talk a lot about in the spoiler section below.

Image from the official trailer for The Last of Us by HBO

Three: Differences in Violence

The last topic I want to go over is the way the two mediums use violence to tell their story.

The video game uses violence as a way to engage the player. It’s a challenge that must be overcome, either through stealth, guile or straight up combat. It is so common that the game only managed to make it intense by limiting your resources, forcing you to count bullets and manufacture traps, otherwise you’ll run out of ammunition and be forced to fight hand to hand.

The show uses violence much more sparingly. One online count I found put Joel’s kill count at over 200 in the game, but less than 40 in the show. It makes sense that the show would have a more realistic portrayal of violence than the game would. If they’d tried to mimic Joe’s kill count, it would feel like an 80’s action film, or at least a parody of one.

As a result, death in the show is much more impactful. Take the first time we see Joel kill someone in the show. The scene has a companion scene in the game. But in the game, he’s killed a few dozen infected and Boston guards by that point, and the death is just one more. In the show, it’s his first kill, and the context of the kill makes it all the more impactful.

The change in violence increases the lethality of the world. The infected are all the more dangerous for how few of them Joel and Ellie kill. The ease with which some factions kill is more jarring. It feels more real than the game does, and the characters react accordingly.

Spoilers

This section I want to discuss two things that require the spoilers tag.

Spoiler

Welcome to the spoiler section. The two topics I want to discuss here are the Bill and Frank story, and the Sam and Henry arc.

First, Bill and Frank. I loved this story-line. The characters were so much better than their game counterparts. But the big question I had was: why do things differently at all? The obvious answer is that Bill’s chapter in the game was one long combat sequence, something the show was not doing. so they had to do something different.

Slightly less obvious is that they needed a catalyst for Joel to decide to take Ellie further. Marlene had tasked him and Tess to take Ellie to the capital building; Tess’s last wish was for him to take Ellie to Bill and Frank’s. Bill’s letter, and the comment about finding someone to protect, gave Joel the impetus to take her all the way to Wyoming. The game didn’t really have a counter part; it just railroaded Joel into doing it.

FYI: Probably my only big complaint of this show comes from the Bill and Frank episode. Bill is a survivalist by nature. When raiders finally come, he stands in the middle of the road with a rifle while Frank is running around wildly. That makes no sense. Bill would have a plan that involves a safe place for Frank, and a nice firing position to defend the perimeter.

Now, Sam and Henry. Tying Sam and Henry’s background to the Kansas City rebellion was great. It gave the Kansas City faction a reason to keep coming after them, one that made sense. But the point I wanted to bring up had to do with violence.

in the game, Henry kills a number of infected and Pittsburgh hunters to protect Sam, and eventually Ellie. It’s just part of living in that world. But the show makes a point of him not being violent. He’s never killed anyone, and he doesn’t until Sam turns at the end of the episode.

The game is heartbreaking enough, fighting through Pittsburgh with him for several hours and then losing them. in the show, it’s worse. The only person Henry ever kills is his brother. It’s heartbreaking.

[collapse]

So ends the spoiler section.

Conclusion

Obviously, a lot of thoughts about this show and game. I think it is a fantastic example of translating a video game story to screen. The writers consolidate and rework the story to fit the new medium. They expand the world to meet the expectations of their audience. And they consider the influence of violence on the story and treat it well.

I recommend the show to anyone who can handle the violence and intensity of it. I also recommend the game, to anyone who enjoys games and has the time to sit down and play.

Thank you for reading through this post with me. Let me know what you think below, especially if you’ve experienced one or both of these examples of The Last of Us.

Monthly Update

August Update

Leave a comment

July was a fantastic month. I knocked a lot of things off my to-do list in almost every category. I did a lot of planning, organizing, and strategizing for my projects. And I feel good heading into August.

Writing

After a few chapters of work on Book 3, I switched gears to planning and organizing. I had all the scenes and plans from my first drafts, and I spent several sessions working on what scenes I still wanted to include and which ones I want to reference. It seems a lot of what I thought would be individual chapters might just be scenes. which is good, because I’m still worried about how big some of these chapters might get.

Did not get as much work on my SciFi novel as I’d had liked. That being said, what work I did do was pretty important. I figured out a few of the plot points that I had glossed over in previous efforts, so I know what I need to have happen. By my estimate, I have ten chapters to work out to have a draft ready for review.

Same thing with the fantasy novel, and the other projects. Not as much writing as I’d like, but a lot of planning and organization done.

My focus on organization and planning has a lot to do with me restructuring how I’m approaching writing projects. I’ll get into that in some future blog posts.

August Goals
  • Book 3: Finish at least one of the four remaining acts
  • Science Fiction: Get book to Beta Readers
  • Fantasy Novel: Add 5,000 words

Movies and TV Shows

July was a good month for knocking titles off my to-watch list, both movies and TV shows.

First, I sat down to watch Glass Onion, the second of the Benoit Blanc mystery movies. I really enjoyed the first one (Knives Out), and the second one did not disappoint. It was a different kind of mystery than the first one, and used the cast to greater effect. I’ve already re-watched it twice, to pick up on all the things I missed the first time.

My sister invited me over to watch through The Last of Us TV Show. I just finished the game series in June, and she wanted to share it with me. We got through the whole series, all nine episodes. I have always been fascinated by how stories change mediums, but usually its book to screen. And the show did it well. I’m doing a blog post on it, hope to have it up early August.

After that, we started House of the Dragon, the next Game of Thrones prequal series. Now, I’m not a huge GoT fan. I read the books and watched the series. But so far I like this show. I like the king, the prince and the princess. Of course, we’re only three episodes in, and I’ve been warned it gets pretty intense. We’ll see if and when I get around to finishing it, as I don’t have an HBO subscription.

I also sat down to work through the rest of Marvel: Secret Invasion. Last month I said I wasn’t sure what to think, except that I expect Olivia Coleman to be awesome. Well, she certainly was. I’d say she was the best part of the show. The rest of it I found boring. I had a hard time getting into the story and the villain’s plan was formulaic. About the only positive thing I can say is that the ending was not the happy ending I’d expected. And, I’d add that if they use the events of the show to set up story lines in other MCU movies and shows, I think that’s great. But I did not get into this show.

Maybe August won’t be as show and movie heavy, but it will have the Ahsoka show, and that I am very excited about.

August Goals
  • Watch Two Movies
  • Complete Two Shows

Books

I finished The Automaton pretty early on in the month. By the last chapters I had two ideas of what might be happening, and I was partially right with both, yet completely wrong. It was fantastic. This book is one of those science fiction books in the vein of Isaac Asimov. It really feels like a science fiction story and not just a story set in a science fiction world. I absolutely recommend.

I started an ebook edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I did not realize at the time included the first stories of the famous detective. My only real exposure to Sherlock Holmes has been through film and the BBC show. Reading these stories, it’s fun to see things I recognize, such as characters, mysteries of bits of dialogue. It’s also fascinating to see how the concept of mystery stories changed since the time they first came out. Most of the stories are extremely short, and have a ‘hah, gotcha’ style that bugs the hell out of me.

At the recommendation of a friend, I started reading a book from a genre called ‘RPG Lit’. This is a genre where players in a game get put into the game somehow. The book I started with, Critical Failures by Robert Bevan, has the players in a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. It was a pretty decent read, though I can’t say it was great. It certainly gave me a lot of good ideas for my own RPG Lit stories.

August Goals
  • Read one library book
  • Read one book I own (fiction)
  • Read one book I want to take notes through

Games

July was not a big gaming month. I played a few more missions in Gears of War Tactics, advancing the story a few more scenes but still within the same act as I started the month. I want to finish it off before September.

There was one game I really got into this month, and that was one called Thea: The Awakening. My friend Karl recommended it to me. It’s an RPG/Turn-based strategy game. You rule a town in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, sending adventuring parties out to find resources and defeat monsters. You have different abilities based off what deity you follow, and the deities gain abilities as you level them up. It’s immensely fun.

I anticipate that sometime in the near future I’ll be getting a Playstation 5. Therefore, I set myself a bunch of goals to complete before I can invest, including completing the last game I have on the current consoles, Far Cry 6. I believe I’ll start sometime this month, but I don’t know that I’ll finish it this month. Far Cry games can take a bit.

RPG wise, all three of my characters are still alive. One of them, Shiloh from the Delta Green game, had a fantastic event where he got possessed by an alien intelligence who wanted to end the world. I got to play the traitor for a short while, manipulating my party members to position myself to betray them. Seeing every player at the table respond to my betrayal was fantastic. Even though my possession was brief and a failure, my character survived to continue to be a part of the group, and I got a fun experience out of it.

August Goals
  • Finish Gears of War Tactics
  • Start Far Cry 6

What’s Next

Review

Book Report: The Taming of the Queen

Leave a comment

“I have seen too many queens,” [WIll Sommers] says. “And too many of them are ghosts now. I don’t want to see a queen in danger; I don’t want to see another ghost. indeed, I swear that I won’t see one. Not even one.”

“You did not see me?” I ask, catching his meaning.

“I did not see you, nor Kitty Howard creeping down the stairs in her nightgown, nor Anne of Cleves, pretty as her portrait, crying at her bedroom door. I am a Fool, not a guard. I don’t have to see things, and I am forbidden to understand them. there’s no point in me reporting them. Who would listen to a Fool?”

-Will Somers, Court Fool, to Queen Kateryn Parr, after discovering her eavesdropping on Henry’s private discussions, The Taming of the Queen, page 194.

Kateryn Parr wants to survive. In the court of King Henry VIII, that means bowing to his shifting whims, even for his wives. Chosen by Henry to be his sixth queen, Kateryn is determined to avoid the fates of her five predecessors. She adopts several defensive strategies to placate and mollify Henry. But as the ominous title of the book suggests, in Henry’s court, survival requires submission.

In The Taming of the Queen, the eleventh historical fiction novel in Phillipa Gregory’s series, we follow Queen Kateryn from Henry’s first proposal in the spring of 1543 to his death in the winter of 1547. The book is not about her ascension to power or her scheming and plotting for the throne. The book is about her survival.

Synopsis

Kateryn is a reluctant queen. She has watched five predecessors come and go; two of them set aside, two of them executed, one neglected and died in childbirth. She has a secret lover that she hopes to wed. In short, she does not want to be queen. But Henry chose her, and queen she will be.

Queen Kateryn lives in apartments that other queens have lived in. She wears dresses and jewels commissioned by her predecessors, and her ladies have served several of them as well. Half of the court sees her as an impediment to their agenda; others see her as an avenue to riches and power.

Her biggest threat, however, is not another family or the next aspiring queen; it is Henry himself. Henry has been absolute ruler of England for decades, and has become quite adept at removing queens. He plays the factions of his court against each other, and not even Kateryn is safe from his tests and games.

To protect herself, Kateryn works to be the best queen she can be.She used her power and position to hire tutors. and teachers. She reconciles Henry with his children, bringing them together as a family for the first time in Henry’s reign. Kateryn even goes so far as to publish books in support of Henry’s reformation, the first woman to publish in her own name in English history. All in the hopes of keeping her position long enough to survive the king.

The Threat – Henry the Tyrant

King Henry VIII has been a threat to the characters for four books. He has executed four of the last eight POV characters and deposed two more. The absolute power he developed over previous novels is now perfected: he is the Divine King of England. He has long removed anyone who could — or would — argue with him.

But in Taming of the Queen, the threat is much more intimate. In previous books, Henry was a threat, but not a very present character. His will was known to the reader through correspondence, conversation with other characters, and the appearance of his officials to execute his orders. In Kateryn’s story, Henry is more present and more forceful. He actively debates with Kateryn, giving the readers a chance to see Henry’s mindset and trains of thought.

Henry is also old. His age and infirmities are taking their toll. He is aware that he is no longer a young man or the ‘handsomest Prince in Christendom.’ Death is coming, and Henry has but one male heir to the throne. Knowing this, Henry is scared, and that fear manifests itself in his whims and moods.

This is the tyrant Kateryn must placate to stay alive. A king, close to death, who is fearful of the future and lashing out with the power he has. A very dangerous foe indeed.

The Queen’s Defensive strategies

Kateryn Parr becomes queen with the goal to survive. To do so, she is dependent on Henry’s good graces. Kateryn sets to work immediately, learning from her predecessor’s successes and mistakes. Some of it is easy and obvious: don’t take a lover, as Kitty Howard did. Most of it is difficult, requiring constant application of intelligence and influence.

Kateryn never sits down and plans out her campaign for the reader to see. The campaign starts from page one, and Kateryn develops her defenses over time. The actions Kateryn takes in her defense can be grouped into three categories, based on what she is providing Henry. First, she is providing intimacy. Second, she is providing family. And third, she is providing religious advocacy.

Providing Intimacy

Kateryn Parr is no fool. She understands that the primary reason Henry has chosen her is because she is an attractive young woman who can bear children. Providing intimacy is the first strategy she is forced to employ.

Sex is the first and easiest intimacy Kateryn provides. Henry is used to getting his desires met, and he is still worried about having only one male heir to the Tudor line. But Henry is also old, and his health is failing. He is morbidly obese, to the point of needing pages and wheelchairs to move about. An open leg wound fills the room with the smell of decay. And Henry faces some level of impotency. Kateryn has to ignore all of that, and play the young, virginal bride for her husband.

Kateryn’s act must extend beyond the bedroom. Henry is her third husband, but Henry must be the best at everything. Luckily for Kateryn, Henry asks guiding questions. Kateryn is smart enough to answer the correct way, and placate Henry’s ego.

Of the three strategies Kateryn pursues, this thread is the most disturbing to read through. Henry is not a considerate lover, and the submission he expects is demeaning. Kateryn’s descriptions of their bedroom atmosphere are oppressive.

Providing Family

The second avenue Kateryn uses is as new mother to the three existing children from three previous queens. Mary (Catherine of Aragon) is almost the same age as Kateryn, while Elizabeth (Anne Boleyn) and Edward (Jane Seymour) are much younger. Henry has declared the two daughters illegitimate, and barely sees his son.

Kateryn makes an effort to bring them all together, to provide Henry with the family he never realized he had. If she can make him realize he has potential heirs already, perhaps he would calm down.

Kateryn is largely successful at this. She befriends Mary, brings Elizabeth back to court, and corresponds with Edward. Henry appreciates this effort, and revises the articles of succession to include the two daughters (after Edward, of course).

Of the three strategies, this one is the most rewarding to read. Mary and Elizabeth are innocents, declared illegitimate because of Henry’s falling out with their mothers, and largely disregarded because of their gender. Kateryn bringing them back together, and mending the family that Henry was at best oblivious to, is the best success she has. The submission for family is humiliating, but ultimately is not as terrible as some of the other things Kateryn must endure.

“The Family of Henry VIII”, Artist Unknown, c1545. Royal Collection Trust

Religious Advocacy

The third and most dangerous avenue Kateryn pursues is the be part of Henry’s reformation. Kateryn is a dedicated Protestant, and her family pressures her to keep the king committed to the reformation. Henry has begun the reformation, but has not completed the process. He shifts from protestant to catholic leanings, based on internal court debates, the shifting alliances of Europe, or just his own whims and desires.

Kateryn uses her position as queen to educate herself. She learns languages, studies the Bible and religious texts. She invites learned scholars and popular speakers to lecture to her and her ladies on reformation topics. All this she does within the bounds of the Church of England, with Henry at its head, using his teachings and writings.

But Henry’s inconsistency can trap Kateryn as easily as anyone else. Henry rules that religious texts should be in English, so everyone can read them. Then he rules that only learned men should read them, as they’re too difficult for everyone to have an opinion on. Kateryn’s works that Henry praises one day he condemns her for the next.

Of the three strategies, this one is the most aggravating to read. Kateryn works hard, and yet her work is contently dismissed for reasons far beyond her control. The submission for this strategy is not one event. It is a constant stream of little abuses that Kateryn endures. Hence, aggrivation.

Conclusion

The Taming of the Queen is a hard book to read. Kateryn Parr is a likable, intelligent woman who spends the book simply trying to survive. She works hard to please Henry, only to find he’s more interested in her submission than her hard work. She is a character who constantly receiving my sympathy and respect.

On the plus side, with the death of Henry VIII, we can finally move on and into the next generation of Tudor leaders. I’m sure the next few books will be about easier times and perfect rulers.

Right?

Monthly Update, Uncategorized

July Update

Gallery Leave a comment

It’s the July Update, a little later than usual thanks to a busy but amazing July 4th Weekend. I got a lot done this month, and still have a lot to do.

Writing

As I said last month, Book 3 is not about word counts right now; it’s more about processing the story and trying to streamline what I have planned. I did add a good number of scenes to the story, and I’m working out the flow, but I’m having difficulty nailing the exact sequence of events. I’m working hard on it, and I’m optimistic I can get the books finished, if not published, this year.

My Science Fiction Novel went from 2nd Draft Writing to 2nd Draft Ironing, which means I’ve got a continuous story that I like, and now I’m going through it to make sure things match up, that chapters are not too long or too short, things of that nature. I could very well have the 2nd Draft done and ready for review by the end of the month. Then I can move on to figuring out publishing details, like finding a title.

I did not do too much with the fantasy novel this month. I got some writing done, and some planning. But it was not high on my list as it is the furthest project from completion.

I did spent a decent amount of time last month planning other projects. I expect to go into details in a future blog post, but I’m looking at how I work on projects and how I can bring them to fruition faster. Most of it focuses on world building and advanced outlining.

July Goals
  • Get through middle section of Book 3
  • Get Science Fiction Novel to Beta Reader status
  • Add 5,000 words to Fantasy Novel

Movies and TV Shows

The first new movie I got into in June was The Lego Batman Movie. This had been on my list for a long time. It was fantastic. Will Arnett’s angsty Batman was a hilarious caricature of the superhero. The movie itself made fun of the absurdity of Batman, Gotham City, and the numerous villains that Batman faces in fighting crime. I was glad to finally sit down and watch it.

I started two new seasons of shows in June: Marvel: Secret Invasion and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2. I’m only one episode into Secret Invasion, so I don’t really have much to say about it, other than I’m anticipating Olivia Colman to pull off her usual amazing stuff. I’m two episodes into Strange New Worlds Season 2 and the second episode was one of those episodes I know I’ll be watching for a long time. Between those two shows and The Witcher Season 3, I think July will be a pretty heavy TV months.

July Goals

  • Watch two new movies
  • Finished two TV shows

Books

I finished reading Book 3 of the Burton House Saga, Double the Trouble, about musical twins Beatrice and Cecelia. As I said last update, the book is much more amusing than the first two books, and that continues to the end of the story. In addition, the author has clearly planned out the rest of the series, as this book makes several comments about future events that will be appearing in future books (along the lines of a character looking at an atlas and dreaming of travel, not knowing how far she’ll go.).

I then sped through the next Philippa Gregory book, Taming of the Queen, about Kathryn Parr, last wife of King Henry VIII. I don’t want to give too much away until I do the book review, so I will simply say that I continue to enjoy the series.

Lastly, I started a book called The Automaton, written by Ian Young, a local author I met at Minicon this year. This book tells the tale of humanity’s move to a cloud consciousness through a series of short stories. These stories are experienced by an automaton, for a purpose that has yet to be really understood. It’s certainly an inventive book, one that feels like real science fiction.

July Goals

  • Finish three books
  • Write two blog posts

Games

I finished Last of Us 2 this weekend (technically not June, but whatever). I made the point to my sister that I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a final battle not wanting to fight it as much as that one. That game series is a masterpiece of storytelling. I know a lot of people didn’t like the second one, and I kind of see why, but I don’t agree. If they just did a re-hash of the first game, it would have been boring.

Still working through Gears of War Tactics, which I am enjoying. The end of the first act had a brumak fight. Imagine a rancor with machine gun arms and rockets on its back. It was fun, even if it did take me eight tries to get through. I’m into the second Act, which is teaching me the more complex rules of the game before the story gets moving again.

I’m starting to get into a game called Strategic Command: American Civil War. This is one of those games that has a steep learning curve, so I’m giving myself time to get used to it. The nice thing about this game is that they keep releasing new campaign DLC of other wars of the late 19th and pre-First World War 20th Centuries.

My characters in Hot Springs Island and Quest for the Frozen Flame are still alive, which is good. The Delta Green interlude is also moving along, and so far we’re all still alive. But it is Delta Green, so I don’t expect that to last too much longer.

Also, in gaming news, my sister has asked me to run an introductory RPG campaign for her and her friends. I’m excited to do so, and I’ve spent some time the last few weeks planning that out. Not just the story, but how one does and introductory game. It sounds like it’ll be a few months before that really gets going, but you know me. As soon as there’s something to start planning, I start planning.

July Goals

  • Finish one more video game
  • Don’t lose another character
  • Don’t guy another game

What’s next

July will be focused on getting the Science Fiction novel ready to publish and advancing Book 3. I’ve got a lot of other, smaller projects to work on, but those are the big two. I’ll let you know how they go.

Cheers!

Michael

Monthly Update

June Update

Leave a comment

May turned into a pretty decent month in terms of writing everything except the blog posts I swore I was going to post, and slow in almost every other aspect. And that’s okay. I can use a slow month every now and then.

Writing

Working hard on Book 3, getting closer to having a rough draft ready for review. It’s not really a question of word counts right now, it’s a question of linking up the scenes I have and making the story coherent. I’m pretty sure I’ll be dropping the tertiary storyline as it’s not adding too much to the book and will save me a goods chunk of words that I’ll need to shape the ending I want. Could I have a rough draft by the end of the month? It’s possible, if I can stay focused.

My SciFi novel is nearest to completion, but I’ve had a hard time getting into the last big battle. I need it to be a lot of things. What I need to remember is that I just need to get this draft down and then revise it.

The fantasy novel is my middle project, and I’ve had some nice breakthroughs on this project in May. For the main character, I worked out some of the philosophy and meta-physiology of his fantasy race, and how that will apply to the story. And for the secondary character, I realized a few things that I can use to make her part of the story much more interesting and influential.

I did pick at a few other projects over the month. There are so many things I want to write.

  • June Goals:
    • Finish current draft of the SciFi novel
    • Get Book 3 to the point I have a continuous story from beginning to end
    • Add 10,000 words to fantasy novel

Movies/TV

Only watched two new things in June.

Star Trek: Prodigy, the animated kid’s Star Trek show, was surprisingly fun. The adult in me could nitpick the hell out of it, since there’s a lot of things about the show that don’t make sense if I think about it too much. But it is a fun show. The characters are interesting, especially how they come to want to join the Federation, and how they deal with the threats of the story. Now, for a kids show, it does get somewhat dark, but most kids shows do, don’t they?

The movie I managed to watch in May was Antman and Wasp: Quantumania. I’d heard it was a disappointing moving, but I have to say I liked it. It was definitely a different tone from the first two Antman movies: much more serious, much darker. But seeing Antman’s daughter as an up and coming superhero was fun. And holy cow, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror was amazing. I’d love to see him come back again. (Unless the assault allegations turn out to have substance to them, then I’d hope to see someone else who can pull off that level of intensity.)

  • June Goals:
    • Start a new TV show
    • Watch two new movies

Books

I finished two books and started a third this weekend. All three are part of the Burton House saga.

The first two, The DeFacto Duchess and Rejection and Romance, follow Allison Burton and James Byrnes as they navigate courtship, romance, and the politics of 1815 Europe. They’re really two halves of the same story, with a cliffhanger end to Book 1 that made me immediately start Book 2. I would have been really frustrated to have to wait between books.

Book 3, Double the Trouble, shifts focus away from Allison and James to Allison’s younger twin sisters, Beatrice and Cecelia. The musically inclined twins come out into society, with Cecelia going through a battery of terrible dates with suitors and callers. I haven’t finished it yet, but I can tell you this book is far more amusing than the first two. This book also has a more musical theme to its structure and chapter headings, where the first two books were more literary.

  • June Goals
    • Finish two books
    • Post one book review

Games

Did not play a lot of video games in June, for whatever reason. I played through maybe one or two missions of Gears of War: Tactics, which is still fun if not exactly engrossing. I started to focus more one Last of Us 2 to get that game done, and I hit a fun section I’m excited to play through. Maybe I’ll knock that out this month.

My RPG games slowed down in May, between holidays and time-off. Known World Book X is taking a short break so the GM can prep the next chapter, and we’re in a Delta Green Interlude. Still playing the same Hot Springs Island character, and hoping to keep him going for a while.

We did play the first adventure of Quest for the Frozen Flame, where I’m playing the barbarian hunter Morgar. I ended up changing his character from the initial concept. Instead of a moody teenager with a chip on his shoulder who gets angry at everything, he’s now a son from a loving family who gets excited instead of angry. It involves a lot more roleplaying and involvement, but this is a playing group that is well suited for that.

Also, as an aside, one of my Saturday morning prompts gave me an idea for a Scifi adventure, so I spent a few days working out the framework for a Cypher one-shot, roughly eight to ten adventures long. I’d like to run it at some point, maybe get it into rotation for the Sunday or Monday night games. We’ll see if anything comes of it, but it was fun to work on.

  • June Goals:
    • Finish Last of Us 2
    • Don’t Buy Another Game
    • Don’t lose an PRG character

What’s Next

This month I’m focusing on writing and prepping for publishing. I want to put some effort into getting another Books and Beer event going, and keep an eye out for some events if I can get my table up. But the writing is first and foremost. I’ll let you all know how that goes.

Cheers!

Michael

The tale of an author, and his blog.