Rob Howell's Blog
September 23, 2025
Rob’s Update: At the P-Con Bar
Greetings all!
I had a great time at P-Con! Thanks to Crystal and the crew for all their hard work.
I went with a variety of plans. First, I needed to recharge a bit with my crew. I saw a bunch of great people, including a huge contingent of Raconteur Press folks. More on them in a bit.
I was on 4 panels. One was a discussion of what fans are increasingly asking for, and that’s more action and adventure. Then, I moderated a panel about putting the science in science fiction. This was especially fun because I got to chat with Taylor Anderson, whose Destroyermen series is excellent. After that was a panel advising new writers on how best to submit to publishers. Finally, I was on a fun panel about sidekicks. All in all, a great list of panels.
But really, I went to socialize, as I said. I spent a ton of time doing just that in the P-Con bar. I had great conversations with a bunch of awesome folks, including Taylor Anderson, who I’d not me before, David Weber, Robb Hampson, as many Raconteur folks as I could find, and a bunch more.
In particular, I also went with the hope to do more with Raconteur. They’re doing a bunch of cool stuff these days and I wanted to join their ship. I succeeded, with four or five different things going on I’ll be talking about as time goes by.
All in all, a great success.
I spent a goodly amount of time today working on one of the new projects. I’ll talk about it more in the coming weeks, but it’s something I’m really proud to be working on.
Speaking of projects, I had more Okkorim work this week, as we ramp up for the next G20 issue. Good stuff happening there.
Finally, this is the week we’re hosting Eragon at the Historic Anthony Theater! In addition, there are food and drink specials at a number of places downtown, so get your Dragon Burger at Petunia’s, Your Dragon Pizza at Kristy’s Kafe, and your Dragon Concoction at the Idle Hour (which is also hosting Oktoberfest Saturday). It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Hope to see some of you there!
What I’m Listening ToMiss Marple, which is of course another great BBC cozy mystery show. This one was the Body in the Library.
Quote of the WeekIn Xanadu did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome decree
Happy birthday to Kublai Khan, born on this day in 1215, and who gives me an excuse to quote Coleridge.
Upcoming EventsI have a number of things in the works, but nothing confirmed yet.Tracked ItemsMy Weight Today: 358.8lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
September 16, 2025
Rob’s Update: P-Con Week!
Greetings all!
Two weeks in a row! Getting back into the rhythm.
The big thing this week is P-Con in Dallas! I hope to see a goodly number of you there. It’s a great crew down there, and I haven’t seen any of them since LibertyCon.
I’ll be running an Okkorim game there, so if you’re interested in seeing the universe, please join us.
I made progress on a number of projects this week. The most enjoyable was finishing the cleaning and reorganization of my office. It’s been 6 months, but we’re there now. I wish I could put in more bookcases, but until I turn it into a Tardis, I have it about as full of books as I can.
I’ve been reasonably productive on the writing side. I made progress on a short story, which I’ll have done in after I get back from P-Con.
I’ve also been editing a bunch this week, both in Okkorim and in some stuff I’m writing that I’ll talk about when the time comes.
I’ve also been talking up our movie night! We’re hosting Eragon at the Historic Anthony Theater on September 27th. We’ll have specials here in the store, plus special dragon stuff from Petunia’s, Kristy’s Kafe, and the Idle Hour.
I’d talk more, but I’ve got packing to do. Have a great week everyone!
What I’m Listening ToLewis, the sequel to Morse. This whole series is really good.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Henry of Monmouth, who reigned as Henry V. If you think I’m going to miss a chance to quote the St. Crispin’s Day speech, well, let me disabuse you of that notion.
“From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”
– Henry V
p-con.us/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 358.2lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
September 9, 2025
Rob’s Update: Hither to Thither
Greetings all!
It’s been a while, and again I apologize.
Much of my distraction is because I’m trying to figure out where to take my career next. I’m continuing with the Firehall Sagas, of course, and have been working on various things in that. I’m also doing more and more in Okkorim, so that’s all good.
But I still need to get to a new place. Hither to thither, if you’ll let me use archaic English that I really want to bring back into usage.
However, I really need to figure out more what my strategy will be with social media and this mailing list. More and more, I’m looking at switching to Substack for this list. Part of that is because I want to do more interviews, podcasts, and so on. I can do more multimedia in Substack than I can here, at least, it feels more seamless.
Also, I’m trying to figure out what I’ll write in the channel where I was writing the Foresters. I have a number of ideas, including the Mil SF I’ve talked about, an alternate history I’ve wanted to do for a while, a historical drama set in Anglo-Saxon England, and a western/noir/PI mashup set in 1860s Wichita. And more!
Ideas are never the problem, but once I commit to one of these, I’ll need to hammer at it for a while before I release because of this new market.
So, I’ve been thinking and researching, plus organizing my office and doing a bunch of the behind the scenes stuff that needs to be done periodically. Also, I started the process of cleaning out the basement. Yes, the basement. I’m starting to figure out the elevator. Go me!
In the meantime, I’m hammering at a couple of short stories. Raconteur Press has lots of opportunities.
Plus, I was at ICT Comicon over Labor Day. This went very well. It’s nice to finally start getting plugged into the Wichita writing scene.
We’ve got a bunch coming up too. First, I’ll be at P-Con in Dallas next week. If you’re there, come say Hi!
Then, the week after that, we’re sponsoring Eragon at the Historic Anthony Theater, along with having some cool stuff with local restaurants.
Then, after that, I’m going to my first quilt show! That will be a different AAR.
Oh, and we got two new trees planted today. American Lindenwood for those scoring at home. They’re in the grassy area running along Washington Street to the south of us. I’m excited to have them.
So, even if I haven’t been doing this properly, I’ve been doing stuff. With that, I’ll see you all soon!
What I’m Listening ToWe started Joan and Darby, another BBCish (actually Australian) mystery. We can give up BBC style mysteries any time.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Col. Sanders! I like KFC, a fact that will of course shock you all.
One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.
– Colonel Sanders
p-con.us/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 357.8lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
August 13, 2025
Pennsic AAR (With Trailer)
Greetings all
I’m home mostly successfully from Pennsic.
Overall, this was probably my best Pennsic in a while. Sales were down (I’ll get to that), but I went out most nights and had a great time at bardic circles.
My bardic circle was less attended than usual because of the threat of rain. The rain’s threat was worse than its bite and just added to the mood. It also meant we had a smaller circle so more participation.
I’m counting this as the 15th one, which is close though I have no clue the first time I did it. After last year, I was unsure how many more years I’d do this, but I had such a great time this year and I changed my process, I don’t foresee it stopping soon.
I probably should have led with my change in process. This year, I paid for two stout lads to assist me during the week. This was expensive, but worth it. They helped set up, and more importantly, handled all the clean up after the bardic circle. Over the last few years with me living away from Calontir in the merchant area, this clean up process was exhausting, so much so I didn’t want to do it ever again.
Anyway, after my bardic circle, I participating in bardic circles at the Rookery, Northshield, Aethelmearc, Chalkman (more of a ceilidh), and Cirion’s (not sure the camp name). We also had two great circles in Calontir, plus the circle at Morgana’s memorial. Overall, I stayed in my tent only 1 night after my bardic circle and that was the Tuesday immediately afterward.
This is in stark contrast to the previous years, and I’m really pleased. I set an alarm to make sure I’d get moving and it worked. Between that and the help I actually enjoyed Pennsic in a way I haven’t in a long while.
I did so much bardic, I’m actually contemplating doing something I haven’t done in long time: Practice. And write new stuff. I was pretty good this year, but I can get better.
As to the store, sales were down. This was caused by a few factors outside my control.
First, the first 4 days of weather were wretched. Too hot for 3 of them and rainy for the last one. This reduced early sales by quite a bit. For me, that reduced my final sales a goodly amount because I think it meant a couple serious readthrough sales. Weather is always a question, so there we go.
Second, Gwen A’Brooke’s health issues preventing her from making her normal amount of pottery, especially the special Pennsic stuff. This was by far the biggest chunk taken out of total sales. Fortunately, this won’t happen next year and I expect a rebound.
Third, Pennsic overall was down more than 10%. I expect this to rebound as well in future years.
These 3 factors account for nearly all of the difference and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I still made money, at least I thought I had, though not as much as in the past.
Then came the trip home. Up until the last 165 miles, it went very smoothly. Then I pulled into the Casey’s at Lebo, mile marker 149 on I-35, and my trailer lost a wheel.
I was incredibly fortunate. I was literally pulling into a convenience store, so I could sit in a gas bay waiting on the tow truck. I even like Casey’s pizza. It didn’t fall off at 75mph. I wasn’t by the side of the road. Nothing besides the trailer was hurt.
More fortune: Lebo has a tow truck and the shop was literally within site of the Casey’s. That’s where my trailer is now.
I came home Sunday night after all. We emptied the van, then went back along with Matthias and his small trailer to empty the trailer. Right now, the maximum I can lose is the trailer which sucks but isn’t the end of the world. I was contemplating a slightly bigger trailer anyway.
Again, I’m safe, my stuff is safe, all that I lost was an old, cheap trailer.
So, there you go. I had a great time at Pennsic. I’m looking forward to next year to do even more bardic, and do it even better. The only bad thing is that I’m suddenly in the market for a trailer.
See you next year!
August 5, 2025
Rob’s Update: At Pennsic War
Greetings all!
I’m writing this from booth at Pennsic! As usual, my days here are spent from about 10-6 writing and selling and my evenings from about 8 onward are out at bardic circles.
Pennsic 2025Last night, I told a new story about a friend who had recently passed. She was one of the best storytellers I’ve ever seen and a great mentor to me. I’ll miss her. I think she would have disapproved of my story because it made her into the hero, yet that’s exactly what she was.
Pennsic 2025One of these days I’ll collect my various SCA stories and poetry and publish it, but it is not this year. Nor next year, I think, as I’ve got another project I’ll publish at Pennsic next year. Two years, though? Maybe.
Pennsic 2025This week I’ve been editing some old stuff for republishing and nibbling away at some other projects, plus of course talking up my books.
Since I’ve got customers coming in and out, I’ll cut this short, but I’ll see you all soon!
What I’m Listening ToThe noise of a vibrant merchant area. Quite fun, actually.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to David Baldacci!
“But if I worried too much about publishers’ expectations, I’d probably paralyze myself and not be able to write anything.”
– David Baldacci
Rob’s Works in Progress
Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Upcoming EventsPennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PApennsicwar.org/iCT Comicon, August 30-31, Wichita KS,
ictcomiccon.com/P-Con, September 19-21, Dallas, TX
p-con.us/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 360.2lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
July 22, 2025
Rob’s Update: Diary of a Madman
Greetings all
It’s almost time for Pennsic! If you see me there and mention you saw this message, I’ll give you a special discount.
I’ve spent much of the past two weeks packing and prepping. At Gulf Wars, I tried out a new layout. It wasn’t perfect on the trial run, of course, but I enjoyed it anyway and I think this will be better. Let’s hope my measurements work.
I also edited another module in Okkorim. We put one out each month, and I like the steadiness of the work.
Most of what I did these past two weeks is worldbuilding, or rather, galaxy building. I’ve had an idea for a mil SF in the style of Red Storm Rising, one of my favorite books, and I’ve written a bunch of snippets here and there over the past few years. I’m finally getting serious about it.
I focused on the astrography and political structure. This involved picking out a nearby set of stars that might have planets, setting up governments, fleets, and so on. I’m not done with that, but I’ve made huge progress. It’s exciting.
Over Pennsic, I aim to do a bunch of editing on some existing projects, expanding the worldbuilding, and perhaps even writing another short story for Raconteur Press.
With that, I’ll see you all soon!
What I’m Listening ToWe’re watching Burn Notice tonight. What a fun show.
Quote of the WeekI saw Ozzy a few times over the years, though sadly not the farewell show. No More Tears remains one of my favorite albums, though my favorite of his non-Sabbath songs is Diary of a Madman.
Today’s quote, however, is from Flying High Again.
I can see through mountains, watch me disappear
I can even touch the sky
Swallowing colours of the sound I hear
Am I just a crazy guy (you bet)
– Ozzy Osbourne, Diary of a Madman
Rob’s Works in Progress
Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Upcoming EventsPennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PApennsicwar.org/P-Con, February 14-16, Dallas, TX
p-con.us//Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 360.2lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
July 8, 2025
Rob’s Update: Vice Noir
Greetings all
Wooofff. It’s been a while, hasn’t it. I’ve definitely gotten out of the habit, but there’s no better time to get back on the horse than now, or so they say.
Anyway, thanks all for your patience.
I’ve been contemplating how better to serve you all with this newsletter, both to help you help me and also get value out of it. I’ve been dabbling with Substack and I think I might migrate over there. It’ll be free for you, but you might need to get a Substack account to access some of the better stuff. Anyway, it’s time for me to update this particular process, not simply get back to riding regularly.
Vice NoirThe big news this week is the upcoming release of Vice Noir, including as you can see from the cover, myself! My story is a riff off some happenings in Kansas City in the mid 80s. It also mentions Lawrence, KS, where I was theoretically attending the University of Kansas at the time of this story. So my character could’ve met me if, of course, I’d actually gone to class.
I’ve also been traveling quite a bit of late. There was the trip to Lilies, where the wife spent the whole week at our merchant booth and I covered the store.
Then there was LibertyCon a couple of weeks ago. I’d give you an AAR, but it’ll match every other one. Those people are awesome, I got to do a bunch of cool stuff with them, and I got to talk about writing and my work. Great times as always.
Also in June, I did a bunch of work on Okkorim stuff. I’m excited to see us expanding to the Shadowdark RPG, as it’s much stronger than 5E, IMHO.
I’ve also been working on a couple of other projects, nibbling away at them now because they’re large. I do hope to have a bunch of news on these in the fall, though. I have ideas and I’m putting them down on the page.
Next week, as well, I’ll go over a smaller project I’ve been working at for a while that is almost ready to come out.
Okay, that’s enough for now, but I’ll try to keep this going better. Also, please let me know what you think of Substack. It has some real possibilities for me to provide content in better way.
What I’m Listening ToSchism from Tool. I love how Tool manages to take disparate elements into something amazing.
Quote of the WeekToday, in 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis made the final shuttle launch. Despite the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, I looked upon these as something special. I’d like to see us get to space. For a while there, I’d lost hope, but SpaceX has been amazing.
Anyway, today’s quote is from Countdown, the song by Rush after they got to watch the very first shuttle launch.
The bright stuff of dreams is still in me.
Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams
– Countdown, Rush
Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Upcoming EventsPennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PApennsicwar.org/P-Con, February 14-16, Dallas, TX
p-con.us//New Releases
This week we have Vice Noir. I don’t have a link for it, but keep an eye on their Substack page for details: raconteurpress.substack.com.
Honestly, they’re kicking out so much awesome stuff, you should keep an eye there anyway.
Tracked ItemsMy Weight Today: 359.8lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
May 28, 2025
Rob’s Update: Back on the Horse
Greetings all
Sorry for being a day late. I’d intended to write this when I got home from dinner last night, but the wife and I met a friend in Kingman, about 45 minutes away. On the way, home, we came across an accident, and got held up before backtracking and taking the long way home. By that point, I just went to bed.
However, it was a great week last week. I mentioned last week I wanted to get back on the horse after re-arranging the office. Well thanks to Jonna Hayden at Raconteur Press, I did better than that.
I didn’t write in the project I’d meant to write in, but she sent me the current list of Raconteur Press open calls, one of which is due on Sunday. At first, I was thinking that’s too soon, but I said the heck with it, let’s see if I can still go pretty quickly.
And, it turns, out, I can. I started Thursday and finished the first draft today, so about 5 days to get 6500 words. I’ll be editing the next couple of days but then I’ll send it in.
The story prompt is Noir 80s Vice. I’m not sure I ended up fitting the whole prompt, which was trying more for Miami Vice than what I ended up writing, so they may not accept it even if they think it’s good enough. Still, it’s very 80s and very noir, melding in a bunch of 1980s stuff from KC.
And one of the lines in there is absolutely one of my favorites that I’ve ever written.
I also did a final pass on the PDF for the big project in Okkorim and did some other work with stuff there. I have to say, the team that Matt and Luke gathered, including me, is pretty darn good.
And with that, I’m going to watch some TV before bediting the story later on. Have a great week everyone!
What I’m Listening ToSpeaking of the 80s, or at least the early 90s, we’re watching Inspector Morse tonight.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to James Bond! Or at least, Ian Fleming. Here’s a great quote we writers always need to remember.
There is only one recipe for a best seller and it is a very simple one. You have to get the reader to turn over the page.
– Ian Fleming
libertycon.org/Pennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PA
pennsicwar.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 360.8lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
May 20, 2025
Rob’s Update: Shoulder Pains
Greetings all
Over the last month or so, I’ve dealt with some severe shoulder pain. One night was so bad I literally couldn’t sleep. I even had so much pain, I went to the doctor.
The diagnosis is about what one would expect for a guy my age. I have a bone spur and some arthritis. I’m not a young punk any more, I guess, as my new occupational therapist is teaching me.
Part of the reason is new ergonomics that didn’t work out. I recently moved my office from up front to back of the building. This part has been excellent. I love the space in general, but part of that change wasn’t ideal.
I often write with my chair leaned back and elbow on the table next to me. When I moved, I put a credenza to that side, not noticing that it was about an inch higher than the desk I’d had there before. It turns out, that difference messes with my shoulder.
Today, with a friend’s help. we moved a new desk into my office. It’s actually a bigger workspace but with less walking space. That’s fine, I’ve got more room for bookshelves.
Anyway, over the next couple of days, I’m running all the cables again. That part’s tedious, but it’ll be a much better setup after all.
And that’s all on top of a pretty good week. Overall, I finished out at the Chamber last Wednesday, then finished a major project, then started and finished a different project.
The two projects are both in Okkorim, where I’ve got work lined up for the foreseeable future. I’m really lucky to have this opportunity.
Truth is, while it’s been great, it isn’t a full time job and I need to get back to chunking out new content of my own. Besides the Chamber job, I had another issue affecting my time with my butt in chair, hands on keyboard, which is the single most important part of the job. This is why the office move is so important.
I’ve got plans over Memorial Day, but I want to get a few thousand words into something new by the end of the weekend. Then get back into a regular groove both with Okkorim, some Firehall Sagas stuff, and this new project, which is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.
Have a great week everyone!
What I’m Listening ToMoneyball with Brad Pitt. I rather enjoy it, though there’s a lot of changes to the real truth of the story.
Quote of the WeekGeorge Wendt passed away today, which really sucks. Here’s a great quote from Norm, one of my favorites.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Sammy. And I’m wearing Milkbone underwear.” – Norm (George Wendt)
Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Upcoming EventsLibertyCon, June 20-22, Chattanooga, TNlibertycon.org/Pennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PA
pennsicwar.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 358.2lbs
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
May 13, 2025
Rob’s Update: I Chose the Wombat
Greetings all
Last weekend was Anthony’s Balloon Festival. It went pretty well. Lots of people having fun. It was also exhausting and I’m glad it’s done.
I’ve turned my attention to a bunch of Okkorim that has stacked up. We have a huge module we’re working on right now that combines a number of earlier modules.
This one is particularly interesting to me because we’re working more and more with Shadowdark. I’m warming up to this system. I like it’s torch mechanic, it’s use of range, and it’s peril system.
We’re expanding the world every month with the adventures we write every in the G20. I’m also about to start building up other sections of the world. Lots of fun stuff happening.
Truthfully, this has been an awful month for my production, admittedly for a reason. However, it’s nice to get back into the groove.
Tomorrow, I close out my time with the Anthony Chamber as Director. I suspect I’ll get asked to join the Chamber Board again in the fall, but for now, I’m stepping mostly away except for after action stuff from Balloon Fest. I want whoever runs it next year to have the leg up I didn’t really have.
Anyway, so here’s me getting back into updates. Have a great week!
What I’m Listening ToWe’re restarting Death in Paradise. It’s tasty comfort food.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Alexander Nevsky! However, instead of quoting something about leading a cavalry charge against ships over a frozen ice, I’m going to pivot to Roger Zelazny, who was also born today. And since I’m feeling whimsical, you get this.
When you are about to die, a wombat is better than no company at all.
– Roger Zelazny
libertycon.org/Pennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PA
pennsicwar.org/
Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.
Have a great week, everyone.
Rob Howell
Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe
