S. Kirk Pierzchala's Blog, page 2

Report from BasedCon 4

Yes, I did sell some books, but mainly, I was there to meet fellow writers and fans!!

BasedCon 4 was held in western Michigan, Sept 6 -9. The founder, Rob Kroese, had invited me months earlier to be a panelist, and needless to say, I jumped at the chance! That gave me about half a year to worry, er rather prepare for the event. Confession time: One of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome in participating was my dislike --or rather, 'sheer terror'--of flying. But I did some prep work ahead of time with various anxiety-reducing apps and exercises, and I've got to say, they worked pretty well. Navigating the airports on the way there was quite smooth. Checking in at the hotel the night before went just fine. I've never been on such a long trip on my own, so this was a great opportunity for me to get outside my comfort zone. It seems that as my kids get older and more independent, I am also entering a new phase of my life, and it feels very good.

I found the con itself was very well organized—it's still small, so it wasn't too overwhelming for me. This is a new one that's been slowly building steam and attracting some very high-quality guests and discerning attendees and fans. Regarding the panels, I wasn’t quite sure what was expected of me. But after meeting some of the other authors, introducing myself, and getting to know them on Friday, I felt much better. Everybody was so laid-back and welcoming that I was quickly put at ease. The atmosphere was just like one big happy gathering of friends and family.

I think I did okay on my first panel, which was "Technology and Dystopias." I’d made some notes ahead of time, but I knew that I probably wouldn’t use them because these panels are basically structured like a conversation. You can’t memorize talking points—or at least you shouldn’t, I don't think—because you want to be able to respond organically to what the other panelists are saying and to the questions from the audience. So, from a technical standpoint, that was my approach, and I didn’t collapse or completely crash and burn, so by my criteria, that was a success.

The downtime between panels was spent lunching, browsing others' tables, or otherwise mingling, and again, I cannot express just how much fun this was. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent talking with folks. You have to remember that this was a gathering of introverts, and considering that, I think we all did quite well in our social interactions.

On Sunday, my contribution to the "Religion in World Building" panel was somewhat hampered by the fact that I was severely sleep-deprived and there was a shortage of coffee, so I wasn't as intellectually sharp as I normally am (ha, ha).

In any case, I thought the topic was interesting, and moderator Anne Lewis did a great job guiding the discussion. I remained conscious, if not entirely coherent. The footage—in fact, all the recordings of all the panels—is currently being edited, and I will provide links here when they are ready. If anybody wants to see those, I apologize ahead of time for my squeaky voice and rambling thoughts, but that's the real me, and I'm new to this.

So, in summary, it was a wonderful experience. It was like one big extended conversation, flowing around topics of censorship, emerging technology, changes in reader habits, and book markets. But first and foremost, there was the commitment from everyone to craft stories as well as they possibly could. Everybody I met was committed to turning out high-quality, entertaining stories, no matter what those stories were or in which genre. It was very inspiring and uplifting. Whether I'm on a panel or not next year, I will definitely be attending the next BasedCon!

The flight back to Portland was fraught with difficulties, and the less said about the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, the better. But all's well that ends well, and I did eventually make it safely home!

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UPDATE on Book Five: Stare at the Sun: I am expecting the edits back from my editor at any moment! I am confident I'll have it ready to publish by the middle of next month!! Further updates as we get closer to completion. It has taken a bit longer than I anticipated, but I believe it will be worth the wait!

The good news is that Book Six, "Shadowminds," is proceeding much faster. It will be a shorter novel, but it is fully outlined, with significant portions already drafted. So that one will actually be done, God willing, months ahead of my original publishing schedule! I am on track to completing the entire seven-part Beyond Cascadia series on my original timeline, and I want to thank everyone for their patience and support along the journey.

Heading east...

Apologies for the extended absence, but I've been super busy lately! This year the family has stuck closer to home and had to attend to lots of housekeeping projects, summer classes, and summer jobs. We hope to slip away to the coast in the coming weeks, however.

Here's some updates about other developments: Book Five of Beyond Cascadia, "Stare at the Sun", is officially in my editor's hands! Not sure how long the process will take, but in the meantime, I will be finalizing the cover for the physical editions.

Next week, I will be in Michigan for a writer's conference! It's the first time I've ever participated in a conference, and I am so excited to meet other writers and readers in person! I am honored to be on two panels: "Technology and Dystopias" and "Religion and World Building". The sessions should be recorded, so I hope to be able to share those links after the event.

Recently I was surprised (and delighted) to learn that one of my short pieces, "Free Lunch", was the subject of an hour-long discussion on Periapsis Press! The panel had fun discussing and speculating on my inspirations and influences for the story. There's spoilers, but if anyone wants to check it out, here's the link:

If that discussion piques your interest in my other short fiction, there's a generous selection here in "Powers and Principalities".

If you want to read the other stories in the other collection, by many fine and imaginative writers, here's where you can buy Silence&Starsong's inaugural issue:

I'll update everyone about the conference when I return home!

Contest-winning fiction, free!

Midjourney placeholder image of exobiologist

Check out my winning entry in Virtual Pulp's recent fiction contest! The sci-fi story "Mother" is free to read here.

Also, there's an interview with my on the site about my inspiration for the strory, so check that out, too!

Film Review: "Exemplum"

screen shot of "Exemplum" publicity poster, (c) Paul Roland

There's a lot of talk lately about how disappointing mainstream film offerings can be, and how the low-budget, independent alternatives can also be disappointing, albeit in a host of entirely different ways. Thus, prior to watching the film “Exemplum”, I was a bit skeptical, since some of the high-profile, well-funded indie projects I've seen recently, many with religious or political overtones, have been something of a mixed bag.

I need not have worried.

I'll mention the prduction values first: Roland and team do an impressive job squeezing plenty of mystery and drama out of their small budget. Like any talented creator working with limited but tried-and-true tools, excellent use is made of the typical Art House camera angles, editing and an atmospheric, brooding soundtrack. Of course, black and white imagery is in itself a classic storytelling device, as it helps establish the mood, and the sense of foreboding that underscores the morality-play nature of the tale.

And this is a morality tale, depicting the story of Fr. Colin Jacobi. Colin is a very intense, driven young priest, based in California, who is on the verge of becoming an internet sensation. While he has a gift for art and writing, he is clearly more interested in clicks on his social media posts than in clicks on his rosary beads. His signature YouTube channel showcases his unique medieval morality tales; each an “exemplum” of fictional characters dealing with particular vices, similar to Chaucer's tales. His popularity as a content creator and as a confessor soon sky-rockets, to the point where he's invited to produce a complete catechesis program for the Archdiocese of New York.

No spoilers, but we learn pretty early on that Fr. Colin's inspiration for these charming little fables comes from his habit of recording penitents in the confessional--which of course is a massive violation of Church law. That he is willing to do this is a huge tell as to how wrapped up he is in his own project, while telling himself that he's justified, that he's doing God's work. The film's tagline is “Hate the sinner. Love the sin”, and it's just that perverted, arrogant mindset that helps corrupt Colin as he harvests material from his flock's foibles and sufferings.

When the New York deal falls through and Fr. Colin's meteoric rise is halted by his own bishop's interference, Colin's pastor, Fr. Liam, becomes the voice of reason and compassion. He urges Colin to follow the path of humility and obedience, and make his own spiritual health a priority again.

Instead, Colin feels betrayed by his superiors and succumbs to pride, disobedience and wrath. He reaches out to one of his parishioners—Louie, an influential restauranteur who has the bishop's ear---for help. Since Louie is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce, and since Colin has access to some important things revealed in the confessional, it's at this point where the story transitions smoothly from a psychological study to a crime thriller. The young priest becomes ever more more desperate to hang onto what he believes God owes him for the sacrifices he has made in his vocation. As he finds more justifications for his terrible actions, and spirals further downward, he throws more blame on God.

One of the things I appreciated about “Exemplum” is how well-written it is. It's free of political points or virtue-signaling; any allusions to politics or current culture are completely organic to the story and underscore the bigger, universal points it makes about human nature, sin and grace. While it of course deals with specific religious themes, it does so in a way that appeals to an audience beyond the choir. The quality of the writing also carries the viewer over some of the less credible twists.

The performances by the entire cast are impressive. Roland does a solid job with the central character. With his growing intensity and arrogance, we see a man who had possibly tricked himself into thinking he had a vocation to the priesthood in the first place, and even as he looks down on others' sins, he seems to resent that he's missing out on the worldly success other people are enjoying in their lives.

Francis Cronin as Fr. Liam oozes genuine concern and charity as he witnesses his fellow priest's implosion. I was especially struck by Joseph Griffin's performance as Louie, an unlikable person caught in a web he unwittingly helped weave.

Prior to watching “Exemplum”, I had happened to watch Carol Reed's “The Third Man”, starring Joseph Cotten and OrsonWelles, with screenplay by Graham Greene. Thus, one of the best examples of classic, black and white film noir was fresh in my mind, and I have to say I was impressed with how well “Exemplum” compares. Additionally, I then viewed Alfred Hitchcock's “I Confess”, another famous thriller with the seal of the confessional as its central plot point.

Frankly, I enjoyed “Exemplum” more. I found the writing and the plot tighter, the pacing faster, the characters more realistic.

Overall, Paul Roland has done an amazing job and I urge folks to check it out. It's exciting to see the project gain momentum and visibility through word of mouth from influential people and average viewers alike---anyone who enjoys the work of a talented storyteller should appreciate this entertaining and thought-provoking little film.

The film is very easy to access: it's available for FREE on YouTube and Tubi with a high-quality, ad-free stream available to rent on either Google Play or Vimeo on Demand or YouTube Movies. See trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzTe3-9-YLA

“Exemplum” is rated TV-MA for for some strong language and description/implication of sinful behavior.

Welcome, New Subscribers!

Chances are, you're reading this because you recently participated in a Kindle Thriller/Mystery Giveaway and signed up to subscribe to "skirkpierzchala.com"!

Heartfelt greetings to all my new subscribers, I am thrilled you're here! (And of course, hello again to old friends)!

Don't worry, I won't be cluttering up your inbox. Trust me, I really value your time, so I only post when I have something I believe is worthwhile!

So, what's the "Beyond Cascadia" techno thriller series all about? It's about a future that's just around the corner, where politics, science and technology continue to shape--and often corrupt--our world, but where people will always be people, asking the big questions, making mistakes and overcoming hardships to remain, ultimately, human.

As my fans know, I've been hard at work on the fifth installment of the Beyond Cascadia series, entitled "Stare at the Sun", and can happily report that edits are going well!

"Stare at the Sun" a pretty chonky thriller, and will probably weigh in at about 450 pages! It's bursting with intrigue and action, but also includes plenty of the signature psychological depth I bring to my stories! This means there's lots of dark as well as light, so this story is definitely for adults or mature teens. I also explore some of the spiritual/otherworldly themes I introduced in earlier works.  

In addition, I'm planning to do something special with this book that I haven't done with any of the others in the series, but I'm not going to say more about that just yet---you'll have to stay tuned for further announcements!

In the meantime, newcomers are encouraged to browse this site to learn more about me and my projects! Be sure to view the book trailers on the main page! I had so much fun putting those together from a variety of free (or nearly free) resources, and I think they are pretty darn cool.

Also, more importantly, be sure to check out the books themselves and catch up on the adventures of Owen and Sofia MacIntyre, Tomás Chen, Hayden Singer and all the other characters that make the Beyond Cascadia series so memorable! You can help me maximize my royalties by purchasing any ebook title direct from my shop.

But if you prefer, Amazon, B&N, Kobo or Google Play Books. are all options, too!

Everyone, new subscribers and old fans alike, are being offered this handy read-order chart, so feel free to download and print!

When you download, you get this single-page chart that explains more about the series:

Again, welcome and thanks for subscribing!

---Sarah

A Lenten Reflection

As we prepare to enter another season of Lent, I am sharing my recent blog post from Catholic365. Please take a few minutes to read, comment and share!

Still Alive!

So, it seems it's been about a month since I last posted! I had planned on doing an end-of-year review, or at least sharing my thoughts on some current events, but it was all so heavy, I didn't feel I needed to be throwing my two cents into the maelstrom of opinions.

In any case, my New Year got off to a roaring start, then promptly stalled when the deep freeze set in! A week cooped up with an energetic dog and five young adults made me re-think my plans to re-locate the family to a remote research station in Antartica...pretty sure we aren't cut out for that kind of life.

However, while I haven't done much non-fiction writing, I've been very busily focused on numerous fiction projects and can happily report they are humming along nicely!

The latest draft of book five of Beyond Cascadia, working title "Stare at the Sun", is completed and will be sent to Beta readers in a week or so! While this installment is not the last novel in the series, it will wrap up the "secession" theme, as personified by the rivalry between Owen MacIntyre and Hayden Singer. I hope readers will enjoy witnessing the high-stakes drama as much as I have enjoyed crafting it!

While I await feedback from my Beta team, I will switch gears and focus on some other, smaller, draft projects that have been clamoring for attention in the back of my mind...more to be revealed later!

I am optimistic "Stare at the Sun" will be published some time in the Fall. That gives folks plenty of time to catch up on the series!

Reminder: If you choose to buy an ebook directly from my shop, I keep more profits than I would for one purchased through Amazon or the other platforms. Of course, you are welcome to shop wherever you're most comfortable!

And don't forget to leave a review!

A New Catholic Arts Journal!

Join me in welcoming the beautiful new Catholic literary venture, Incarnation Journal! I am delighted to have a new story included in the inaugural issue. Please check it out and subscribe!

Just in time for Christmas...

Physical versions of all my titles are again available in my shop! If you want to help put more money in my pocket, while withholding some from Amazon's, buying direct from my site is one way to do that!

All prices INCLUDE shipping to U.S. addresses, so check them out here and place your orders soon if you're planning on slipping some good reads under the tree!

Book Review: Our Lady of the Artilects

(c) 2023 Andrew Gillsmith

I just finished this amazing novel and urge fans of unusual and visionary Catholic fiction to check out my review on Goodreads!