Site Update 2023

It’s about time. Welcome to the new aavillagomez.com. The old WordPress theme was over a decade old, so out with the antique and in with simplicity. The blog is no longer at the forefront of the site, but all the archived posts can still be found using categories, tags, and the search function.

I started this site primarily as an excuse to scratch my writing itch. Books, movies, TV shows, video games – this is a place to talk about some of my favorite media. I’m going to keep these blog posts coming, and the bigger goal now is to publish a book this year. I’ve been writing and re-writing science fiction stories for almost a decade now, and it’s about time to put them in print. If you’ve enjoyed any of my writing in the past, or if you are a fan of science fiction in general, consider joining my mailing list. I’ll send out occasional updates, and once I’m closer to a release date, I’m planning on giving the book away for free. Thanks for the support.

Short Story: “Sir Gawain and the Dragon”

In 2008 for my senior seminar final project I wrote a short story called “Sir Gawain and the Dragon.” Our class had been reading King Arthur texts for months, so it was fairly easy to imagine how protagonists Gawain and Lancelot would struggle when confronted by their respective shortcomings. In the original story I cited historical texts, giving reasons for certain story beats (like the proper way to arm a knight or the beheading of Gawain’s brother). Credit to professor Mark E. Allen for allowing me to create something imaginative rather than something purely academic. He’s a great teacher, and I always enjoyed our class discussions.

I’ve edited the story, removing instances of passive-voice and overall improving the writing, but the plot’s dark path remains the same. I don’t read much fantasy, but it’s a fun genre to explore nonetheless, and “Sir Gawain and the Dragon” is available on Amazon right now. It’s less than 5,000 words, so give it a try and I hope you enjoy. Make sure you leave a review after reading.