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.
I was so wrapped up in prepping my Kickstarter campaign I missed posting my April update. And with the campaign successfully wrapped up, I can get back to my normally scheduled posts.
Projects
The big project for the foreseeable future is Champion Bold. My editor is already working at the manuscript. I’m working on the supplemental books I offered as a reward, which is a lot of little articles and technical entries. It’ll be a lot of work.
Closing in on a good draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. While I’m glad to be moving on with this, I think I need some feedback before I can work out how to proceed.
I’ve done some minor work on other projects, but I’m trying to focus on Champion Bold until I get that done.
May Goals
Get Champion Bold halfway edited.
Get first draft of the supplement books done.
Get Feedback on The Colonel Lieutenant
Knock 10 things of Minor Project List
Add 5K words to Fantasy Project
Reading
The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory
The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher
Cordelia of the Island by Ashley Katharine Houghton
The Buried Dagger by James Swallow (Started)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Audiobook)
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Audiobook)
I’m well behind my goal of 36 books by the end of the year, but the ones I’m reading through are very good.
The Olympian Affair took a good while to get going, but the last half of the book really took off. Cordelia of the Island was written to an older style of storytelling, where the main story is interrupted by a collection of short stories that supplement the main line without being necessary for its conclusion.
I finished The Count of Monte Cristo, and I see why so many of my friends recommended it. The count’s story of revenge came to a satisfying conclusion, one that wasn’t what I — or the count — expected. When I wrapped that up I switched over to Don Quixote. I’ll be honest, while the story is interesting, the character is a jackass. I know it’s a satire work, but he annoys the ever-loving hell out of me.
May Goals
Finish two fiction books
Finish one non-fiction book
Movies and Shows
Halo Season 2
Witcher Season 3 (in progress)
Shogun (in progress)
Black Adam
Birds of Prey
The Expanse (in progress)
I sat down one night to have a double-header movie night. Black Adam was fun; though i don’t know anything about the character, I didn’t really care that the movie was long. I got into it. Birds of Prey was….bad. Which sucked, because I liked Harley Quinn as a character. But the movie had too many characters, the story was sloppy, and I just couldn’t care.
I started a few shows the last two months. I finally got into Witcher Season 3, which I’ve been wanted to get into for a while. I’m excited to finish it. But the big show I started was Shogun. Now, I read the books back in high school, so I only remember a few scenes here and there. But what I’ve seen so far has been fantastic. I’m hoping it holds up.
May Goals
Finish this season of Expanse.
Finish the Witcher Season 3
Watch 1 Best Picture Winner
Watch 1 Other Movie
Games
Red Dead Redemption 2 (In Progress)
Frost Punk (Played Around)
Rebel Galaxy (Played Around)
Gears of War Tactics (In Progress)
I continue to go through a period of little to no video games. It’s not that I don’t have interest, but I spend most of my free time working on projects. I just don’t have time to sit down and play for long periods.
The RPG’s I’m apart of are moving along at a good clip. I’m having fun running Atonement, and my characters are still alive in the other games.
About the only big update in games is that I started a legacy board game — Trench Club Legacy — with some friends. If you don’t know what a legacy board game is, it’s a game where the players get to influence the rules and setting as they play. In this case, an alternate World War 1. We’ve got one out of up to ten games down. France started the first battle of the war, and Austria won it. We’ll see how it goes.
May Goals
Finish Gears of War Tactics
Get to next chapter of Red Dead Redemption 2
Coming Up
I don’t have any appearances scheduled anytime soon. My focus will be on getting Champion Bold and The Colonel Lieutenant up to speed.
I started 2023 with a number of goals in mind. I wanted to publish a book, and revise my writing process to be more efficient. Then, I wanted to do more events. And I wanted to cross some media off my various lists.
Writing and Publishing
I accomplished a lot of writing goals this year. First, I got one draft out to Beta Readers, with a second close behind. Then, I wrote scenes for various projects, and did research and world building for others.
And while I was doing all this, I was revising my writing process. I need to write more efficiently, and by the end of the year I was. I’m planning some blog posts on the topic, but essentially I paid attention to everything that slowed me down when writing, and worked out a process to counter it before it becomes a problem.
Events
I only got two events in this year, but they were good events. One convention where I sold books, made contacts, and partook in a panel. And one pop-up bookstore.
I’ve already signed up for another convention next year, and I want to do more. I know pricing is an issue, but I’m going to have to figure something out. It’s too important to not pursue.
Media
One trade off of writing more is experiencing less. I watched fewer movies and TV shows, and played threw fewer games, than I expected to. I still read a decent amount. And now that I’m listening to podcasts, I can get some research and entertainment done while I’m working. So, while the quantity may be down, I don’t regret it.
2024
My goals for 2024 are similar to this year. Publish and get my writing out there. Do more events. And continue to enjoy the stories that are out there to experience.
So, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and supports me. It was a good year, and I look forward to next year being even better.
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.
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.
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.
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.
