The Writings of Richard Glady

Engaged in a Great Civil War
I have been a student of the American Civil War virtually my entire life. It only made sense I would write fiction about it. As I have grown as a person, so have my interests. I have expanded my love of the Civil War to include the Reconstruction era, which in many ways was a continuation of the war.
Under the broad grouping of “Engaged in a Great Civil War” dozens of stories exist. From the epic “A Dunbar Family Chronicle” covering the entire war through the eyes of one family to the short stories from Reconstruction, including “The Wrong Dead…a Victorian Horror Story.”
The Civil War and Reconstruction were some of the darkest days of the Republic. The casualty count may be as high as one million dead…soldiers and civilians. North and South both suffered as they struggled toward a new future.

Utopia versus Dystopia
There was a time when Americans looked forward to the future with hope. I believe that time has passed starting with the 60’s and, more importantly to this generation, with the Great Recession. A belief that things will be better, let alone perfect (utopia) is gone. Thus the proliferation of dystopian literature.
I am no different. While a generally optimistic person, I am also a historian that sees forces at work in our society that will lead to its destruction. To reflect that belief, I have 2 dystopian worlds I write about.
Based on N**i Germany and contemporary racial politics, I created the world of the “DDC” (Detroit Detention Center). Set about 150 years in the future, it tells the tale of an uprising in the DDC. The main character is Selena. A teen fighting a war she can not win with the hope that her sacrifice will buy the freedom of others
Based on my experiences in my home town and, again, contemporary politics, the second story is “Noche de Libertad” (Night of Liberty). Set in Houston, in the not too distant future, it tells the story of 6 teens celebrating their single night of freedom before being drafted into the military for 5 years.

The worlds of “Through the Sipapu”
“Through the Sipapu” is an alternate universe that had its beginnings in Native American lore, quantum physics and J.R.R. Tolkien.
It is the belief of the Pueblo Indians that they have lived in four different worlds traveling between the through a hole in the earth, commemorated by a “Sipapu” or small circular hole in their kiva (ceremonial room).
String theory suggests that multiple universes could exist side by side in our own reality.
One reason why J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle Earth was that he desired a mythology for England.
So what is the “reality” of Through the Sipapu?
Its setting is the American Southwest. Although terrible anachronistic, the current names of the geography, the Native tribes and the names of the ruins will be used. The goal, for me, is to allow visitors to easily find and hopefully tour interesting places.
There are five worlds in my universe, all created by one God, although other gods are present.
The first world is almost a “sandbox” created as an experiment by God. In this world, gods walk with man. The gods vie for followers, allowing them to grow in power and prestige.
The second world is a world of magic. “Whispering Wind” is set in this world. Whispering Wind is the coming of age tale of a young female wizard.
The third world is a world of kings and empires. Tales of the Hohokam leader, Howling Coyote, take place in this world.
The fourth world is a world of the normal, much like our world
The fifth world is a world of evil. It was created by God as a place to put the bad people and gods. In the stories from this world, the “good” people are the villains trying to stop the heroes of evil.
Look for background, descriptions and stories from this world in the near future.

Photo is of Fort Stedman at Petersburg, VA. It is the site of the last offensive launched by Robert E Lee. It is available to be seen through the Library of Congress.

This is Casa Grande, a Hohokam Great House as photographed by Vanessa Glady. In my writings about Howling Coyote in the Third World, the Great House serves as a citadel for one of his rebelling sons.