I revised my Suggestion Schedule to account for some problems my initial iteration had. Throughout February I got so much more done, wrote many more scenes, worked out a greater number of world building articles. It wasn’t perfect, and it did suffer from a few days of ‘I just need a break’ where I did almost nothing off my list, but it was one of my most productive months in a long time.
It’s not perfect. I didn’t publish any blog posts or watch any movies. So I’m still tweaking and revising the process as I’m continuing.
Projects
My focus on The Colonel Lieutenant paid off, as I’ve worked out a lot of the issues and sequence of events that have been plaguing me and added a few key scenes. Now I’m at the point where I’m sitting down to write out the rest of the scenes and see if they work. The same with Orcfyre.
I’ve been writing scenes for the 1st Minnesota book, and it’s fun to finally get this one to the page. It’s also a bit nerve racking. I’ve had this project on my mind for over a decade, and I’ve researched it and investigated, yet I also know how much more I could research. To finally get words down and start seeing things take shape is to challenge the perfect story I’ve had in my head.
Other projects are coming along. With the suggestion schedule, I’ve advanced everything, and figured out a number of stories that I’d been stuck on or indecisive about.
March Goals
The Colonel Lieutenant: Write Ten Scenes
Orcfyre: Finish One Act
1st Minnesota: Finish One Act
Other Projects: Finish One World Building / One Scene Each
Publish One Blog Post
Books
The Bearer of the Black Staff (Fiction)
The Great ‘What Ifs’ of the American Civil War’ (Non-Fiction)
War and Peace (Fiction, Audiobook)
Seven Basic Plots (Research)
Mr. Lincoln’s Army (Non-Fiction)
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
I finished two books in February.
The Bearer of the Black Staff was okay. It was several centuries after the last section of books in this series, and it’s more of a fantasy novel than post-Apocalyptic. But it just wasn’t very exciting. I’m really hoping when I get back into the Shannara books that I read back in Middle School that they’re better than I remember.
The other, The Great ‘What If’s’ of the American Civil War, I found really disappointing. It brought up a lot of interesting questions and possibilities, but the discussion about what could have happened fell really flat. There were only a handful of bits of information I thought were interesting enough to remember; the rest wasn’t enough to record. Oh well, I can’t love every book I read.
Still plugging away at War and Peace and Seven Basic Plots, which are both large books (and remember, I’m taking notes on Research books like Seven Basic Plots, so it’s slow going). On the plus side, I’m over halfway done with both, so downward slope.
March Goals
Finish one fiction book
Finish one non-fiction book
Ten chapters of Seven Basic Plots
Movies/Shows
Image courtesy of HBO
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Starfleet Academy
Stargate SG1
Foundation Season 1
Star Trek Discovery (Rewatch)
To start with, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is fantastic. I loved it. A short-scope story of a knight making a name for himself at a tournament, with great supporting characters and amazing drama. The first GOT show I really got into and look forward to rewatching. I recommend this show to everyone.
I continued through several episodes of Starfleet Academy, which I continue to enjoy. It’s not the greatest Star Trek show, but it could be a lot worse. I also re-watched the first four-seasons of Discovery so I can knock Season 5 out and finish that show off.
To my surprise, I didn’t watch any movies this month. I thought I would get down for one or two, but time and other projects got away from me. Oh, well.
March Goals
Watch Three Movies
– One Missing Best Picture Winner
– One ‘Background’ Movie
Finish Three Seasons of TV Shows
– One Season I’ve started and Haven’t Finished
– One of a Series I want to Finish
Games
Surviving Mars: Relaunched
Star Trek Voyager – Across the Unknown
Horizon: Forbidden West
Hogwarts: Legacy
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Star Trek Voyager – Across the Unknown is inspired by the 90’s television show of the same name. It is a procedural game where you command the starship USS Voyager as it travels thousands of light years across the galaxy to return home. I really like this game. Not only does it take from various storylines of the show, but it gives you ways to experience the storylines differently, to see different outcomes and different endings. And since the game generates different maps and sequences, you’re never going to play the same game twice.
RPG-wise, I recently ran a playtest of Delta Green as a World War 2 Commando game, with heavy combat. It went really well. The players all had fun, and though there were casualties, it felt like a World War 2 battle. Well, at least like a movie of a WW2 battle. Maybe I’ll revisit the system in the future.
March Goals
Don’t worry about playing more or less. Just enjoy the games you play.
What’s Next
I’ve got two events coming up in the next few months. I have a table at Minicon 59, and I should have a table at Quantum-Con 4, I’m just waiting for confirmation. Even if I don’t have a table at Quantum-Con, I’ll be heading there for at least some of the convention as an attendee.
May was a busy month. I finished sending out Champion Bold physical packages. I had a convention, QuantumCon, which was a bit of a last minute addition but worth attending. There were good books and good shows. And as always, writing, world building, and procrastination. the good news is, I head into June with more books published, a short story accepted into an anthology, and a launch party on the way.
Projects
Champion Bold is mostly done. The physical copies of the novel and the supplements are available. The ebook of the novel is up. I still need to finish the supplement ebooks and PDFs and get those up. I should have had them done by now, but once the book is up I find myself looking towards the next project. Lesson learned: get the minor stuff done before the big finale, otherwise you lose focus.
I got a good amount of work done on the Colonel Lieutenant, though not as much as I’d hoped. I’m running into some issues of ‘is this working right’ or ‘did I set this up enough.’ There’s no real way to get around it, so I’m putting my head down and running right into the issues. No way to finish it except by doing it.
And, happily enough, I managed to get a large number of items done off my other project lists. Either small world-building things, or a few scenes I banged out. And some brainstorming that got me past a couple of project blocks, allowing me to figure out major plot points for some very low-level projects. Very excited for how those will workout.
June Goals
Finish Champion Bold ends
Finish the Colonel Lieutenant
Process Champion Impact Responses
Complete revised synopsis of Orcfyre
Knock 10 things of other to-do lists
Books
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Armageddon’s Children (Fiction)
The Elves of Cintra (Fiction)
War and Peace (Fiction, Audiobook)
The Seven Basic Plots (Research)
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Game Theory (Research)
Without Remorse (Fiction, Re-Read)
Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan (Non-Fiction)
I’m into the second trilogy of the Shannara series, which has gone from modern fantasy to post-apocalyptic fantasy. The world has gotten a lot bleaker, and there are factions of demons and paladins warring for control of the future. I’m kind of enjoying the series, but it’s not really grabbing my attention. I’m hoping this book picks up the pace a bit, so I don’t feel like I have to force myself to read. And I’m still five books away from the ones I read as a kid.
My re-read of Tom Clancy’s Ryan-verse is going okay. It’s been a long time since I’ve read these books, and it’s gone much as I’d hoped. I’m remember why I liked it, but after so long away, not only do I still enjoy it, but I’m picking up things I’d never noticed before, or didn’t understand. It’s a much different read now. And I’ve still got 10 more books before I hit the end of the main series and the books that Clancy himself wrote.
Hell to Pay is a fascinating history book. It’s covering the planned Allied Invasion of Japan, and it’s doing it pretty well. Each chapter covers one aspect of the plan, without worrying about chronology. So when we discuss Allied recruitment efforts or Japanese defense planning, we get to read everything important in one chapter, without jumping topics. I’m looking forward to finishing it.
June Goals
Finish one fiction title
Finish one non-fiction title
Finish two research titles
Movies and Shows
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Last of Us (Season 2)
Marco Polo
Last Kingdom (Re-Watch)
Andor (Season 2)
Captain America: Brave New World
In May I finished two great second seasons.
In Last of Us Part 2, we see the story of Joel and Ellie continue, much as it does in the second game. This season follows roughly the first half of that game, and it does it pretty well. It hits the emotional high points, but does so in its own way. I think the pacing was a bit off (another episode or two would have helped), but i don’t hate it. Expect a better blog post shortly.
And then there’s Andor Season 2, the last season of this show. Holy crap, talk about an amazing show. The show covers roughly four years of time, leading up to Rogue One and the original Star Wars movie. Great characters, amazing sets and costumes, and a story that just kept me wanting more. Even the last scenes gave us a good wrap up for the characters we wanted to know about. No complaints.
Finally, I saw the new marvel film, Captain America Brave New World. It was good, but not great. This movie had some high points, and some interesting connections to other films in the series. It didn’t quite feel as firm as other Captain America movies, but that’s a fairly minor complaint overall. I would definitely watch it again, but I wouldn’t start someone into the MCU with this one.
June Goals
Watch one Best Picture Winner (three left)
Watch one Fix-It Title (four left)
Finish one in progress show
Start one new show
Games
Stellaris
Space Marine 2
Last of Us Part 1 (Re-Play)
Nothing much in gaming this month. I advanced Space Marine 2 but haven’t beaten it yet. I’ve been playing some more Stellaris with new DLCs, which is fun. And I started replaying the Last of Us Part 1, for fun.
RPG wise, all the campaigns are going well. My characters (French gambler, half-orc noble, half-elf oddity and otter water mage) are all still alive. The game I run is still fun and people are engaging with the story.
So, not much to tell, but it’s still fun.
June Goals
Finish Space Marine 2
Start new PC game
What’s Next?
Launch Party
I’ve got a launch party Sunday, June 8th, at Inbound BrewCo in Minneapolis. 1 to 5 PM. Hope to see you there.
In the fall of 2021, I started reading Philippa Gregory’s Plantagenet and Tudor Series. I had been discussing historical fiction with a friend in a writing group. and she mentioned this series. I recognized some of the titles from movies and shows, but I hadn’t read any of them. So, I hit the library and started reading.
The series spends fifteen books covering the Wars of the Roses and the reign of the Tudors. Roughly 150 years of history as of the last book. It tells stories of the reigns of twelve English monarchs, from Henry IV to Elizabeth I. It does so by telling the stories from the eyes of the women: the queens, mistresses, and court ladies who watch great events with an often-overlooked perspective.
(Update: After starting this blog post, I discovered that Philippa Gregory has announced a new book in this series. This book will follow Jane Boleyn and is set five books back from the last book I read. So, this post is a review of the series so far. I will review the next book when it comes out.)
This is a review of my experiences with the series. First, my overall thoughts. Second, I’ll go over structural and literary topics I want to cover. Then I’ll discuss some of the thoughts I had about the women POV characters. And finally, I’ll hit some points about the series as historical fiction.
Overall Thoughts
This wasn’t a series I’d probably ever read if it hadn’t been recommended to me. My historical fiction tends towards military characters or great leaders, with lots of battles and conflict. And, honestly, mostly from male perspectives.
This series has battles that occur, but rarely are we given anything more than a few paragraphs; this series is more concerned with their influence on events. Great leaders are common in every title, but we’re seeing them from a close and personal viewpoints, warts and all. And seeing the series from an a primarily women’s perspective paints the decisions of the era in a very different light.
All that considered, I liked this series. Looking back at the titles, many more of them were ones I would revisit than ones I would be okay never returning to. None of them reached into my lists of favorite books, but I’m still glad I read them.
Literary Thoughts
These are several points about the series from a literary perspective.
One thing real quick, because this will help understand the points below. When Philippa Gregory started writing these books, she was actually writing two different series: The Cousins’ War about the Wars of the Roses and The Tudor Court about the reign of the Tudors. They remained separate for fifteen years, until she combined them into one narrative. This does have an impact on some of the topics I will address below.
Multiple POV Characters
One great thing about this series: it was the first series I’ve read that every book follows a different character. Other series follow one character from start to finish, or switch between characters each chapter. Not this one. Each book followed a different character than the previous.
This means that each book comes with a different attitude, set of skills and relationships to experience. In the shifting politics of the era, this gives each character strengths and vulnerabilities that are markedly different from the preceding book. We see these characters experience great rises and falls, each of which is unique to that characters’ position.
And, it’s nice that the POV characters in one book are supporting characters in other books. So, after reading with one character for a book, you may get to see how the rest of their life plays out in other books.
Assuming they survive their own book, which isn’t always the case.
As a writer, it’s great to see a long series that doesn’t follow the same character through each book, especially a multi-generational series like this one. It’s made me wonder if I could do something similar with one of my ideas
Not Written in Order
By this, I mean the books are not written in chronological order. They are written and inserted into the timeline as they come out. The first book chronologically is the 9th book written in the series. New titles added to the list can (and will) be inserted into the chronology where she wants.
This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this. The Sharpe series does the same, with Bernard Cornwell adding new stories here and there as he finds stories to develop. It means that as you read them in order, you’ll find the writing style change dramatically, as the book that follows may have been written years before the book you just finished. Her writing style changes as she continues to write. As it does for everyone.
Magic
This series has an odd aspect to it, in that some of the books (particularly the early ones) include some fantastical magic powers. We’re not talking about fireballs or enchanting items. These are more about minor divinations: abilities to see the future or know what’s happening far away.
Not every book has this aspect. Many of them don’t touch upon magic or powers except as an excuse to execute someone. In the books that do have it, it is very minimal, used only to inform the character — and by extension the reader — of important plot events.
It’s a nice way of advancing some stories, without needing the same powers to appear in all of them.
Women’s Perspective
I’ve read plenty of books with women protagonists, but this was a new experience. It was a whole series of novels, written from different women’s viewpoint, all unified by shared experiences with the system they lived in.
Again, this isn’t something new I’ve never experienced. You can’t read historical fiction and expect to find modern sensibilities in previous eras. But there’s a difference between having a few female characters in a male dominated narrative, and having the entire narrative told from their POV.
Influence on the Narrative
For starters, it’s a different read when most of the characters have limited influence and agency instead of just a handful.
Now, the first thought might be to say ‘these characters are passive participants of their own story’, but that’s not the case. None of these characters are weak. They are extremely limited in how they can influence their world, but they do have options. One character might present the best version of themselves, whatever that version needs to be; another might scheme for power to protect herself through family and patrons. How each individual character approached their situation and how they try to control it is up to them. And how well they do so is part of each of their stories.
One more thing: with the rise and fall of the characters in relation to the throne of England, what they do with power once they have it is as much a part of their story as anything else. Which characters try to improve their kingdom, and which ones use their authority to remove their enemies and secure their position? With so many POV characters over the narrative, you get a lot of different answers to this theme.
Misogyny
I’ve read books with female characters before. The Honor Harrington series has a strong female protagonist. But these series take place in societies of equality: Honor Harrington is a military officer who only faces sexism on one backwards planet, and ends up changing that planet’s society instead of succumbing to it.
This series has misogyny front and center, and that’s not really a surprise. Late Medical and Early Renaissance England, despite the female monarch who reigned for a good chunk of that time, was not known for its progressive gender views.
Throughout this series, we see the women experience the prejudice and bigotry of their society. They are brides to be married off for political power, or wombs to bear the next heir to the throne. They are sent to seduce lords and kings to advance the family interest, and if they fail (by their own fault or not) they are forgotten and discarded. All too often, parents treated their children as pawns in the political game around the throne, while their children — the characters — either understood or pushed back.
They were several instances where I got angry at what the characters were experiencing. But that’s what the time period was like, and I appreciate that Philippa Gregory doesn’t shy away from showing that.
Historical Fiction
As historical fiction, this series touches upon real events. Following the throne of England, many of these events have great consequences, often for the characters we’re reading with. Also, it was a period I didn’t know much about, so there was a bit of a learning curve while reading. And I do like learning.
But the main thing to remember when it comes to historical fiction is: it’s historical. You can do all the research you want, but you’re still writing a fictional narrative. As a reader, you cannot accept this as historical fact. Sure, you can learn the dates of the important events, but that’s about it. Everything else is suspect.
It Took How Long?
One thing I learned from this series was how long things took to happen. History books may mention dates, but that usually gets lost in the shuttle. For example, you read, ‘Queen Elizabeth captured Mary Queen of Scots, and after some time executed her for plotting against the throne,’ and think it was a period of months or a year.
Nope, 19 years. 1568-1587.
This kind of long-term planning and execution feels so alien, but it’s a part of their world and the characters don’t expect anything else. On the other hand, after getting used to how long it takes for a decision to be made and implemented, it makes some of the quick, impulsive decisions that much more jarring for the characters and readers to experience.
Historical Mysteries
When you’re writing historical fiction, there are always events that you don’t have a historical answer to. Some of these are small questions that weren’t important enough to records answers to Others are big, great mysteries that living historians debate to this day. There are two solutions to this: to ignore or side-step the mystery, or to craft an answer that fits your narrative. Philippa Gregory does both.
As a good example of side-stepping, there’s the Princes in the Tower. The deposed King Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, being held in the the Tower of London, disappear without a trace. It’s one of the biggest mysteries of English history. In this series, Gregory never gives an answer. The mystery occurs or is referenced in several books, and each character has their own belief about what happened. But the truth — even the fictional truth — is never revealed.
On the other hand, there’s the death of Amy Robsart, wife of Queen Elizabeth’s lover Robert Dudley. The historical figure was found dead, and her true cause of death was never confirmed one way or the other. But Philippa Gregory provides an answer that works well within the plot of her story. I won’t tell you what it is, but it works well.
From a writer’s perspective, it’s good to see how the same problem can be corrected differently, depending on the needs of the story. If and when I get around to writing historical fiction, I’ll be approaching things like this. I’ll have to.
The Red Queen
If you’ve kept up with my posts on the series, then you know how much I came to hate the Red Queen, the fictional version of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, who appears in six of the fifteen books.
I won’t go through a whole biography of the character or her historical counterpart, but I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge how great this character is. Yes, I hate her, but I appreciate the character.
In the first half of her book, I came to to sympathize with her so much. She was a young girl — only thirteen — when she was widowed while pregnant with the future king. And her entire value to society is as a womb capable of bearing future monarchs. Her own mother tells the doctors to sacrifice Margaret for her child if a problem arises. She survives, only to have her son whisked away for his safety. I had so much pity for her.
And then she became a character I absolutely detested. The lengths she went to get her son on the throne, and how she influenced his court once he was there, were terrible. I understand her reasoning, but I hate bullies and tyrants, and she works up to be a great and powerful one, who terrorizes the characters of five more books.
Yes, I appreciate the character, as much as I hate her. I hope to write a character who evokes a quarter of that response.
Conclusion
There are many reasons I appreciate this series. I learned about an era of history I didn’t know much about. I got to experience a multi-generational epic that spans more than a century. And I got to see the stories through lenses that I’ve never really looked through before. Not only did I enjoy it, but I feel I’ve learned a lot as a writer.
Now, this isn’t the end of my experience with Philippa Gregory. There’s at least one more book in the series coming out. And there are a number of movies and TV shows based of her works that I will watch at some point. I’ll add them to my ever-lengthening list of ‘to watch’ titles.
If you’re interested in reading some of these books but don’t want to check them all out, please feel free to check out my blog posts on the series, or ask for recommendations. Always glad to introduce people to new books.
February was filled with proofing the novel and filling out the supplements, and relaxing where I could with shows and movies.
Projects
For starters, I’ve got all five proof copies ordered and on their way: the hardcover and paperback editions for Champion Bold, and the three paperback supplements: Catalogue of Aliens, Encyclopedia Galactica, and Ship Recognition Guide.
When I wasn’t proofing and editing, I was working on other projects. Sasha’s Book 3, The Colonel Lieutenant, is the next big project, currently undergoing a major re-write. Other ones I want to focus on are the Champion Bold sequel, Champion Impact, and the fantasy novel, Orcfyre. Some minor projects I’m picking at are my American Civil War novelette series and some other science fiction and fantasy ideas I’m kicking around.
March Goals
Approve the proofs for publishing
Sasha Book 3: Finish Current Act Re-write
Sasha Book 3: Big End-Battle 2nd Wargame
Orcfyre: Act Re-distribution and outline
Other: Knock 10 things off my to-do lists.
Publish two blog posts.
Books
The Other Queen (Fiction)
The Best School in the World: West Point 1833-1866 (Non-Fiction)
Angel Fire East (eBook; Fiction)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Non-Fiction)
Image courtesy of Amazon
I actually managed to finish a pair of books this month, putting me only two books behind where I want to be right now. Not bad progress.
The first book was The Other Queen, the fifteen and last of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. This one follows a period of time in Mary, Queen of Scott’s, life under incarceration, with her and her jailers as the characters. I’m working on the book report now, so I don’t want to say too much. Except that now with that done, I can do one of my other big reading projects.
I also finished The Best School in the World: West Point 1833-1866, a non-fiction book on West Point prior to and during the American Civil War. This one was research for several different projects of mine; I wanted to know what sort of curriculum West Point cadets went through, and how it differed from other contemporary European schools. I got a lot of good information from this book.
March Goals
Finish two fiction title
Finish one non-fiction title
Finish one research titles
Movies and Shows
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Skeleton Crew
Oppenheimer
Shazam!
I made an effort to make time for movies and shows this month, and I knocked three titles off my list.
First, Oppenheimer, the biopic about the doctor who helped develop the a-bomb and then fell to post-war politics. I really likes this one, from the casting to the politics to the explanation of the physics. At no point did I feel like the movie was talking down to me, and that’s the least you can ask for when a movie is getting into atomic physics and red-scare politics.
Then there was Shazam, the superhero movie. I’ll be honest, the only reason I chose this one was because the sequel is on my fixit podcast and I want to see that before I listen to the podcast. But I actually really liked this one. It was funny, and exciting. Just adult enough to appreciate, without being too adult to not believe there are children involved. I’m glad I watched this one.
I also finished Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. I had a rough start to this one because I had to warm up to the children, but halfway through I came to appreciate them (and they had grown enough for me to like them). My final grade was going to depend on how the show wrapped up, and it ended really well. The kid’s space adventure gave them the skills and experience needed to win. Huzzah! Good show.
March Goals
Finish one started show
Start one new show
Watch one Best Picture Winner
Watch one other movie
Games
Baldur’s Gate 3
Madden 2025
Nothing much to say on the gaming front. I’m enjoying Baldur’s Gate 3 when I have time to play it. Haven’t touched any of my other games in a long time. My RPG characters are all still alive. The game I run is still going strong.
March Goals
Advance to next chapter of Baldur’s Gate 3
Advance story of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Advance story of Red Dead Redemption 2
What’s Next
I have two events on the books.
First is the Literary Libations event on Saturday, March 22nd, at noon. I’ll be there with a number of other local authors, selling my books and trying not to buy more. I’ll also be doing a reading of some sort. See details here.
Image from the event Facebook page.
I also have a table at Minicon 58, April 18 – 20, 2025, at the Doubletree Hilton in Bloomington. I’ll be there all three days with a table. I applied to be on some panels; we’ll see what I get assigned. Details here.
Where did January go? I swear we just started the month a week ago, and we’re already done? Wow. At least I managed to get some things done this month.
Projects
I’ve got physical proofs of Champion Bold, and I’m reading through them to find last-draft corrections. Most of these are formatting errors: missing punctuation, or lengths of text that need to be italicized. Maybe one in five corrections is style, something that makes less sense to me now that I’ve had several weeks stepped back from the project. (For all you writers out there, this is why I recommend putting in several week breaks in the process: when you come back to the project, these things stand out all the more.)
Paperback and hardcover (author’s photo)
I’m almost done with the supplement books. I’ve got all the artwork assembled; some of it I need to finish processing to add to the book. There are a few articles I need to complete, and a few pages where I want to add additional images or world-expanding text boxes to fill blank spaces.
Recently, I pulled out Book 3 and I’ve been writing in that again. I processed some of the things that bugged me in my previous draft and I’m working those into this draft. My editor has a copy of what I’ve done so far, and I’m looking forward to her feedback.
I’ve picked at some other projects last month. I looked at my fantasy draft and worked out some fixes that I’m starting to incorporate. I’m doing world building for some other projects, lots of histories, organizational building, or crafting magic and philosophical systems. The type of things where you work on it for a bit, take a step back, then return and delete half your work and keep at it.
February Goals
Finish review of Champion Bold
Order Proofs of Supplement Books
Continue work on Book 3
Knock items off other project to-do list
Books
Image from Amazon page
Angel Fire East (eBook; Fiction)
The Best School in the World: West Point 1833-1866 (Non-fiction)
The Other Queen (Fiction)
Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind (Non-fiction)
Hannibal (Audibook; Non-fiction)
A Burton House Christmas (Fiction)
January was a bit odd reading-wise, because I ended up starting a lot more books than I meant to. Mostly this was due to library returns forcing me to discontinue reading before I had finished some books and reminding me to start the other library books before they became due. So, I’m actively reading through four books simultaneously. Which feels like a bit much, now that I’m no longer reading on the bus every day.
I did finish A Burton House Christmas, a small side-book in the Burton House Saga. It was an interesting aside book from the main narrative: six of the characters each tell a Christmas story, either a real experience of theirs or a fictional tale they wrote themselves. Each story has a different flavor and feel, but each feels like a Christmas story. A nice experience I didn’t get to until after the holiday season.
February Goals
Finish two fiction titles
Finish one non-fiction title
Finish one research title
Movies / Shows
Image from Amazon
Skeleton Crew
Tenet
Star Wars Visions Season 1
I made an effort in January to watch more new things, even if it was just one episode when I got home from work before I got lost on the computer screens. It helped.
Star Wars Visions is a show where each episode is a different story, animated by a different studio, giving it a different style and flare. Some of the episodes I really liked, feeling like old Samurai movies or anime films. Others felt more like the sort of anime shows I never got into as a teenager: I’m glad I watched them, but I don’t feel the need to see them again.
I watched one movie last month: Tenet, the time-warping movie from Christopher Nolan. This movie was not as bad as I’d heard, but it wasn’t great. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but it seemed to get into it’s own science a lot without explaining it enough to the audience. There was enough that didn’t make sense to me to disrupt my enjoyment. I’m glad I watched it, and I’d probably watch it again, but it’s not amongst my favorite movies.
February Goals
Finish two season of TV
Finish two movies
Games
Not much to add on this front. I’m playing through the same games I was last month. I just haven’t sat down and concentrated on any one game to knock it out. I’m sure I could if I wanted to, but that’s a lot of time, and I’ve got a lot of other projects I’d rather be working on. That being said, I’ll make an effort in February to make progress on my games. Maybe I’ll get in a streak and knock one out.
What’s Next
I have two events in the next few months.
March 22nd I’ll be at Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater. It’s a short, six hour event with several other authors. I’m hoping to have my book ready be then.
Then, Easter weekend, I have a table at Minicon, Friday through Sunday. I’m looking forward to that event as well.
And I should have a book launch party for Champion Bold. I’ll let you know when that is,
This update is very late in the month, due to moving, project work, vacations and then catch up. Suffice it to say, I’m feeling very tired. Accomplished, but tired.
Projects
I had two big projects this last month. One was to get Champion Bold to the proofing. I’m pretty much there. I’ve gone through each page looking for italicization errors, formatting issues, and trying to avoid large blank spaces. Now I’m waiting for the last backers to get back to me with their names (if they want to be included), then I will format as a PDF and start prepping for proof. This might take a few rounds to get done as the two programs involved have some different ways of interpreting the same data, but I’ll get it done.
The other was in regards to NANOWRIMO. I used the month as a chance to re-write Book 3 of the Renaissance Army series. This went well for about two weeks, when I had time to work on both projects. But when it came time to pick and choose, I had to pick Champion Bold. That being said, what I did re-write was a lot better. I’m looking forward to getting back into that soon.
December Goals
Get physical copy of Champion Bold
Finish supplement books
Knock 5 things of Project To Do List
Books
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Running with the Demon (eBook; finished)
A Knight of the Word (eBook; finished)
Fire and Blood (Physical; started)
Fool Moon (Audiobook; continued)
Since I had a week off from work, I missed out on a lot of my normal reading time. I finished Running with The Demon and then read through A Knight of the Word, the first two books in the longer Shanarra series by Terry Brooks. This was one of the first fantasy series I started reading as a child, so I’m interested to get through it as an adult and see how it reads.
Running with the Demonended better than it started it; it took a long time to get into it. Introducing the characters and the rules took a while. Once it got going, it took off and ended pretty well. Though it reminded me more of a Stephen King novel than the fantasy stories I remember from my childhood.
The second book (A Knight of the Word) was mostly better story, largely because I knew the characters and the rules of the world from the first book. The series of twists at the end were a mix of what I expected (which I hoped he would have done differently) and what I didn’t expect (which I appreciate). Still, it was a good book.
Fire and Blood is a long narrative history of House Targaryen and its rule of Westeros. It’s not a story in the sense of the other books of the world, but it is a fascinating read. I’m enjoying it, especially because it has given me some ideas for non-traditional projects I could work on.
December Goals
Finish Audiobook
Finish One Non-Fiction Book
Start one Research Book
Movies and Shows
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Deadpool and Wolverine
Agatha All Along
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 5 (Started)
Managed to find time this month to sit down with friends to watch a few things.
Deadpool and Wolverine was a great movie, filled with a lot of fun callbacks, fourth-wall jokes and action scenes. I found the initial premises a little hard to accept, but once I got past that (and it’s really easy to get past it) I loved the movie.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Agatha All Along. What I got was a great show that managed to follow the established rules of the MCU, and still provide enough surprises to be enjoyable. I’m looking forward to re-watching it to see what I missed the first time.
Star Trek Lower Decks is on its Fifth and final season this year, with one episode left to go at the time of this posting. This show has been fantastic since episode one, telling its own stories while making references and call-backs to previous series. It’ll be a shame to see it go, but better it leave by its own accord than it die of misuse.
December Goals
Watch one Best Picture Winner (3 Remaining)
Watch one Fix-It Movie (11 Remaining)
Watch one Other Movie
Watch one TV Show
Watch one In Progress TV Show
Games
Image courtesy of wikipedia.org
Baldur’s Gate 3
Madden 2025
As part of my moving process I invested in a PS5 and several games I had my eye on, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and Madden 2025.
Madden is a typical football game. My playing so far has either been with my roommate, or doing the skill tests to learn how to play the game. I haven’t done a season yet, so I can’t claim any great competency at it. But I am enjoying it.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a DnD 5th Edition game. I started the first Baldur’s Game way back when several times, but never got too far into it. This one I’ve heard good things about, and so far I’m having fun. I’m playing as a generic custom character, so I can make dumb mistakes and learn the game. I’ll replay later as the game characters, once I have an idea of how things work.
December Goals
Make progress in Red Dead Redemption 2
Make progress in Assassin’s Creed Odessey
Make progress in Warhammer 40K Armageddon
Make progress ins Baldur’s Gate 3
What’s Next
Working on the book. Planning events and projects for 2025. And surviving the holidays. That about it.
October was fun. Filled with a few good books and a few good shows, mostly it was filled with a lot of good project work, and a lot of fun writing.
Writing and Projects
I’ve got Champion Bold to Word, which means I’m prepping it to get a printed proof. This sounds easy, but this is where I’ve made some errors in the past, so I’m being careful and thorough. Progress is progress, but progress also involves a lot of tempermental programs. So, slow and steady, and checking my work.
The supplement books are coming along nicely. They’re not quite at the printed proof stage, but they should be soon. I just need to finish some articles and assemble some artwork.
I’ve been working on other projects, planning and preparing. Particularly, I’ve been revising my plan for Sasha 3, hoping to get that to proofing during 2025.
November Goals
Use NANOWRIMO to re-write Book 3
Get Champion Bold to proofing stage
Finish Supplement Books
Knock 10 things off Writing Project to-do list
Books
Image from Goodreads.com
Under One Roof (Burton House Saga Book Six; Fiction; Finished)
Fool Moon (Dresden Files, Book 2, Audiobook, Fiction, Started)
Running with the Demon (eBook; Fiction; Started)
I read through Under One Roof, Book 6 of the Burton House Saga. This books takes the reader to colonial Australia, which involves reading through how the penal colony works for both men and women, and how the colonists interacted with the aboriginal inhabitants. As for the characters the story followers, their stories involve a lot of overcoming personal adversity, and trying to be the best leaders they can be for those who are dependant upon them.
I’m almost done with Running with the Demon. This book I came to by accident. I’ve been wanting to re-read the Shannara series, some of which I read back in middle school. I picked up a humble bundle, and this was the first book. It’s not bad, but it took a long time to pick up. If I stick with the chronology, I have six more books to get through before I get to a book I’ve already red. I may skip ahead. I haven’t decided yet.
November Goals
Finish two fiction books
Finish one non-fiction book
Finish on research book
TV Shows and Movies
(image off of Wikipedia)
The Acolyte
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5
Did not watch a lot of new things this month. I did watch through The Acolyte, the Star Wars show. I really liked this show. For half of it, I was thinking it was going to do A and B, and then it went wonky and gave me Q and T. And I liked it! But it’s been cancelled, so no more of that for me. I’m kind of miffed about it, but I can’t get into reasons because of spoilers.
Started Lower Decks season 5. The last season, by all accounts. It’s been a fun show, and I’m excited to see how it ends.
I got to participate in a short campaign of Deatmatch Island, an RPG that harkens back to Hunger Games and other similar deadly competition games. Your character is completely randomized, and the encounters are difficult but not game-ending if you get them wrong. It was fun, though it’s not a long-term game.
Hello. July was a good month. I knocked a lot of things off my list, got my book to 80% edited, and made progress on the shows and games I hadn’t gotten to in a while. That’s a good month.
Writing
My focus was on Champion Bold and the supplemental books. Writing, drawing, hiring artists. It’s a large beast I bit into, but it’s progressing nicely. The Book is 80% edited, and the supplemental books are in the 40’s.
Not much advancement on other projects, but that’s okay. I want to get my primary project done and published, and that has to be my primary goal right now.
August Goals
Finish editing Champion Bold, get published proof prepped
Get Supplement books to 75% complete.
Process feedback on The Colonel Lieutenant
Knock 10 items of Minor To-Do List
Reading
Last of the Mohican Graphic Novel, Marvel Illustrated (Fiction; Finished)
Gettysburg by MacKinley Kantor (Non-Fiction; Finished)
The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory (Fiction; Finished)
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Fiction; Audiobook; Started)
Wisconsin Vamp by Scott Burtness (Fiction; Started)
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Game Theory (Research; Started)
I read a lot over the course of the month. Reading a graphic novel of Last of the Mohicans actually made me understand the story a little better, though it’s still not great. Also finished the next Philippa Gregory novel The Virgin’s Lover, which I will have a blog post for up soon.
The fun one was a book my dad read when he was young on the Battle of Gettysburg. Oddly enough, it was titled Gettysburg. It was fascinating to see how books of that time (1952) portrayed the battle; what they emphasized and what they ignored. As a bonus, it did four pages on the 1st Minnesota and what it did there.
August Goals
Finish one fiction book
Finish one non-fiction book
Finish one research book
Movies and Shows
Witcher – Season 3 (Finished)
The Expanse (Continued)
House of the Dragon – Season 2 (Started)
As I said in the intro, I actually sat down to watch new things this month. I got halfway through Season 2 of House of the Dragonwith my sister. So far, so good. And I knocked another episode off of the Expanse. I really wish I could get into that show as much as other people. It’s good, but it usually isn’t grabbing my attention.
Finished the current season of The Witcher, and while I enjoy the show — especially the over-the-top fight sequences — I feel it doesn’t do a great job of explaining the world. I have so many question that just don’t get answered. Maybe if I read the books or play the games, I’ll find out more.
August goals
Finish current season of the Expanse.
Watch two movies.
Knock Tv show off my ‘started and not finished’ list
Start new TV show
Games
Warhammer 40K: Armageddon (Started)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Continued)
I advanced a little bit in RDR2. Played through a story mission that actually left me really angry. I had to free a member of our criminal party who had been captured, and there was no way to do it without killing a lot of people, including at least one innocent woman. I texted my sister (who loves this game) and asked her if I am able to kill the guy I rescued later on in the game. Apparently, it depends on my choices. Which is cool from a game design perspective, but I need to avoid looking up how to do it, lest I get spoilers.
Started a new computer game, Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon. It’s a hex-based wargame that uses the Panzer General engine to play as an Imperial Guard commander during the Second War of Armageddon. I like this game so far for two reasons. First, it is a simple and fun game with short missions. And two, the Second War of Armageddon was largely my first introduction to the 40K universe. So, it’s a bit of nostalgia in it for me.
The RPG games go well. My characters are still alive, which is good. The game I’m running only had one session this month, but it set up a nice battle for next session. Knights, evil wizards, and lots of goblin friends…and perhaps foes.
August Goals
Advance RDR2 into next chapter
Start Assassin’s Ceed Odessey
Finish Armageddon
What’s Next
I have on public appearances planned right now. But I want to change that this month. I hope to find some conventions and events I can sign up for, before I hear about them too late.
“I was there,” he would say afterwards, until afterwards became a time quite devoid of laughter. “I was there, the day Horus slew the Emperor.” It was a delicious conceit, and his comrades would chuckle at the sheer treason of it.
-Opening line of “Horus Rising”, Book 1 of 54.
In spring of 2017, I found a Humble Bundle with eBooks of the first fifteen titles of the Horus Heresy series. I was intrigued; I knew the series was being written, but I hadn’t thought to read it. I’d read one book in the 40K setting, and I’d enjoyed it, but I thought that would be it. So, when this came up, I decided to grab it. I mean, it was a dollar an eBook. That’s a great deal.
The Horus Heresy Series Logo, courtesy of lexicanum.com
I didn’t realize I would be starting a journey that would take seven years and 54 books to finish. But in spring of 2024 I did so. And I want to share some thoughts.
This will be the first of several blog posts.
I’ve got a lot of thoughts.
What is the Horus Heresy Series?
The answer could be a whole blog post by itself, so I’ll try to be succinct.
There exists a tabletop wargame called Warhammer 40,000. This science fiction universe takes place in tens of thousands of years in the future. Humanity fights against wonderous aliens, monstrous gods, and their own fractious nature.
It is not a happy universe, but it’s based off a wargame, so what can you expect?
The Horus Hersey is an even that occurs around the year 30,000, (10,000 years before the wargame) when the resurgent Imperium of Mankind suffered a schism. Some followed the God-Emperor, while others followed his favorite son, Horus Lupercal. The war broke the golden age of humanity that could have been, and plunged mankind into millennia of darkness.
Though long referenced in 40K literature, it happened so far in the past that it was considered mythology. But in 2006, Games Workshop (the company that runs 40K) started the book series. It ended in 2019 with book 54. After that, the narrative shifts from the greater heresy to the massive fight in the Sol system.
But I haven’t started that series.
Yet.
What did I think about the series?
I’ve spent several passes at this blog post trying to figure out how to answer this question. I like most of it, I hated some of it. I liked some characters, hated others. Some events I was looking forward to reading about were worth it, others were disappointing.
It was worth reading. Some of the books I would read again. Some of them I wouldn’t.
In some cases, there were books that were mediocre in their story, but I hold in high regard because they involved POV’s from sub-sets of humans, and the author put in the effort to make those POV’s feel unique.
So…why do this blog post? Or a series?
This is an introduction blog post. I have a lot of miscellaneous thoughts I want to write up, but if I did them in one post, they’d either be over too quickly, or it’d be so long I should have it published.
I’ll be doing more blog posts on this series over the next few months. I’m planning a list of books I’d love to read again, some I didn’t enjoy, and some books it was fun to read for the POV reason stated above.
How many blog posts? I don’t know. I’ll write what I want to say, and that’ll be it.
One Scene to Remember
I didn’t want this post to just be ‘hey, I read some books, expect a flood of posts afterwards’, so here’s a scene from one of the books that I think about a lot. It’s a scene where, in the midst of giant war machines and great strategies, we see humanity.
Cover Art for ‘The Master of Mankind’, courtesy of lexicanum.com
The book is The Master of Mankind, book 41 in the series. It is set on Earth, and in the webway, a extra-dimensional network of transit hubs that allows people to move from one planet to another without going into space. The enemy is approaching through the webway, and there is a battle coming.
Two characters are walking through a crowd of refugees. One is a space marine, Zephon of Baal, a genetically modified human build for war, and the other is a custodes, Diocletian Coros, an even bigger and better genetically modified human build to protect the Emperor.
A young child approaches, a refugee from a world already burned. He looks up at the two enormous warriors, asking for his parents and seeking comfort. Zephon provides some comfort to the child, while Diocletian is dismissive. Leaving the refugees, Diocletian chides Zephon.
‘You are a creature of pointless sentiment,’ Diocletian voxed to his new companion.
He heard Zephon’s sigh as they walked onwards. ‘You said I disappointed you, Custodian. I assure you that the feeling is mutual. I had not imagined conversing with one of the Ten Thousand to be such an exercise in soulless discourse.’
Diocletian didn’t believe that deserved a reply.
I’ve thought a lot about why I like this exchange, and it is due to the humanity of Zephon. So many space marines we meet are focused only on the war, or on the rituals of their legion. So much of the game and its books are de-humanizing, and here’s a great warrior taking a moment to comfort a child. While everyone else is looking up the hierarchy, he’s taking a moment to look down.
This is not the only example of humanity in the series, but it is my favorite.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you for the next post in this series, where I will discuss my favorite books from the Horus Heresy.
June was filled with book work. Got a lot, and I mean a lot done. And there’s still more to do.
Writing Projects
I’m advancing Champion Bold and its companion books on towards completion. More than half the book has been edited. I’ve started work on most of the articles, and have commissioned much of the artwork. There’s still a good amount of work to do, but every day I move the spreadsheet closer to being completed.
I haven’t done much work on my other projects. I’m getting some feedback on Book 3 of my main series back. And I’ve picked at a few things here or there. But for the most part, it’s book work.
July Goals
Get total Champion Project to over 50% Completed (Currently 25%)
Two non-update blog posts
10 Things off the Minor List
Books
Version 1.0.0
Shogun Vol 2 (Re-Read; Finished)
Story of a Regiment (Research; Finished)
Robert E Lee and Me (Non-Fiction; Finished)
Don Quixote (Fiction; Audio-book; Finished)
Finally finished the audio-book of Don Quixote. Now, don’t get me wrong, there were several great stories about Don Quixote’s adventures in this book. But there were also long segments where he wasn’t even in the story, but characters were talking about him, or about the genre of knight errant stories. It made it for a long and rough read to get through. I know that this is how stories were back then, but still. I think I’ll chose a more modern story for my next audio-book.
Also got through Robert E Lee and Me. This book is written by a retired US Army officer and former professor of military history at West Point. It’s about his journey as a raised southerner to identify and combat the Lost Cause narrative in his own life. It is a good, read, but it gets intense. He goes in depth into the slave trade and the history of lynchings. He even talks about how the statues and roads and base names were all in response to the growth of the civil rights movements. A good book to read, but it goes to dark places.
July Goals
Finish one Fiction title
Finish one Non-Fiction title
Finish one Research title
Movies and Shows
Godzilla Minus One
I can’t believe I only watched one new thing last month, but I guess that’s how it goes.
Godzilla Minus One is a good movie, surprisingly well done for it’s budget. I liked the characters, and the ending had just enough leeway for a sequel. And as a Japanese production, it wasn’t as ‘action packed’ as a Hollywood kaiju film would be. I’m glad I got a chance to see this movie.
July Goals
Finish one TV show I’m watching (Witcher or Expanse)
Start one new TV show
Finish one TV show on hiatus
Watch two movies
Games
Frost Punk (Main Campaign Finished)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (In Progress)
Continuing my trend of not playing many video games, I only sat down twice to pick at Frost Punk. To my surprise, I beat the main campaign. Considering the game afterwards, I realized my big flaw was that I wasn’t passing enough laws. Basically, it’s a mechanic in the game that lets you shape the society: do you put children to work or not? Do you enforce order through authoritarianism or through a church? I was only passing laws when I had to, and so did not have a flexible society I needed to beat the game. It was only because I changed tactics halfway through the last play through I beat it.
My RPG games are all going well. They’re fun to play, and the stories are intriguing. My Atonement game is into the next chapter, which is an investigation-heavy chapter in a massive city based somewhat on ancient Rome and Constantinople. I’ll need to be careful; between the party splitting up, and the research-heavy sections, the game could slow down too much. I’ll have to trust my players to let me know if that happens.
July Goals
Red Dead Redemption 2 to next chapter
New Computer Story Game
Finish Game in Hiatus
What’s next
Nothing exciting. Focused on book work. And readying myself to apply for conventions for next year.
