Rob Howell's Blog, page 9

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Ruriksaga (50,266)The Seven (13,766)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

This week is a new 4HU novel. It’s Gunpowder Geishas by Carolyn Kay. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKF8BP29.

Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

Your pre-release this week is a new series from a new author! It’s Final Assembly by Dennis M. Myers, the first book in his Rise of the Automated Empire series. This series is set in a post-scarcity society on the moon in the distant future, where no one lacks for anything, and everyone gets along. Right? Not so fast… Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKVFR1PL.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 355.8

Updated Word Count: Did too much to do that full accounting, but will try to do so next week.

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0Website: robhowell.orgBlog: robhowell.org/blogThe Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

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Published on October 12, 2023 19:07

October 5, 2023

Rob’s Update: Step 3 Of World Domination

Week 40 of 2023

Greetings all

Where Now the Rider

Step 3 of World Domination is out! Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

This is book 3 of the Edwardsaga. Edward made a promise and the time has come to fulfill it despite the fact that everyone wants him to leave the past buried. The trail leads to something he never expected, and maybe the bad guy isn’t the worst thing out there.

One of my favorite parts of writing this novel is that since it is the third, there’s a lot of depth within Achrida I can use. For example, Edward gave the promise in question during his investigation in A Lake Most Deep. The answers he got in that mystery may not have been worth the cost.

The Edwardsaga

In any case, the Edwardsaga now has 3 books with a 4th (Farewell, My Ugly) coming out on November 7th. And all that I just said about building on top of things for Where Now the Rider is that much more true about Farewell, My Ugly. This started as an homage to Dick Francis and ended up an homage to Bernard Cornwell. From Sid Halley to Sharpe.

Next week, I’ll have another release: Thirteen Stories of Horror. This is an anthology coming out on Friday the 13th. My story is actually the first story I ever wrote in a moment of pure hubris way back in 1997. That’s long before I ever thought I might be a writer. I wrote it only to fill a quire in the program for NeoCon 8.

I’m in the middle of two projects right now. One I’m just going to call The Seven, as the project is Sooper Sekrit. The other is The Ruriksaga, which will be the next Firehall Sagas release, aimed at December 12th. It’s a collection of all the short stories I’ve written in Eard, along with some other tidbits.

Making progress on the stores, too. Mostly this week I’ve started the early sorting of books into their categories. I was mostly caught up but got 2 more totes and 4 boxes today. Today was actually a Wichita excursion, which got me the books, some excellent bookshelves, and a variety of things to finish projects around here.

We haven’t decided anything yet, but I’m hoping to have the ribbon cutting as close to my return from 20BooksVegas as possible.

One last thing. Thanks to Consortium of Genius for inspiring this update’s title. If you haven’t checked them out, they’re the best hard rock supervillain comedy band I know of.

And with that, I better get writing.

What I’m Listening To

Bears kicking the tails of the Washington Football Team. I like it.

Happenings in Anthony

We won trivia this week!!! The Civil War category was right up my alley but, I think, no one else.

Weekend after next is Fall Fest, and the decorations are making Main Street look pretty cool. Pics in a couple weeks.

Quote of the Week

Today is the anniversary of the R101 airship disaster in 1930 and that, of course, makes me think of Iron Maiden.

Because they wrote an epic song about that event called Empire of the Clouds.

“Now a shadow on a hill
The angel of the east
The empire of the clouds may rest in peace
And in a country churchyard
Laid head to the mast
Eight and forty souls
Who came to die in France”
– Iron Maiden, Empire of the Clouds.

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

I’m back on the horse. September was simply just too busy but we’ve definitely turned the corner.

First Line of Next Riddle:

Myriad am I Molded for memories

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Ruriksaga (50,100)The Seven (8,810)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

This week we have D.T. Read’s Ganwold’s Child. This is not the next book in her excellent Seventh Shaman series, but is actually book one in the Sergey Chronicles. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CJDLJ4H2.

The pre-release this week is a new 4HU novel. It’s Gunpowder Geishas by Carolyn Kay. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKF8BP29.

Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 354.2

Updated Word Count: I’ll do a full accounting next week, but it’s getting up there.

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

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Published on October 05, 2023 19:21

September 28, 2023

Rob’s Update: Farewell to Farewell

Week 39 of 2023

Greetings all

Farewell, Farewell, My Ugly!

Where Now the Rider

For the first time in far too long, I finished a novel. In the last 6 full months, I only wrote about 34,000 words in that, plus a few here and there on other stuff. That’s really slow for me.

Farewell, My Ugly comes out on November 7th.

Before that, of course, we have Where Now the Rider, which comes out on Tuesday! Edward has to fulfill a promise, though no one wants him to dig under that particular stone.

Of course, we all know I had reasons for that, not excuses. Still, it’s nice to fell like I’m really getting back into the flow. I’m even more excited for once we get to a normal keel, which should be sometime in early 2024.

So we’ve got a while yet, but each week gets us farther along. Here are some pictures of where we’re at.

Multipurpose Room Before

Multipurpose Room After

Let’s start with the multipurpose room. This will have classes, game nights, and temporary office space. The first picture is after we cleaned it out, and it needed cleaning, but before we put the subfloor down. The second is after the floor went in along with the new lighting. It went from a dreary room I didn’t like going into to a great place to do stuff. Perhaps my favorite transformation so far.

Quilt Store Pews 1

Quilt Store Pews 2

Now here are some pictures of the quilt store. When we bought this place, it was an open room filled with a bunch of pews. As you can see, we found great use for these. They stack nicely, and already had holes drilled to screw in place. They’re amazing shelves. By her calculation, we can put over 800 bolts on display at any given moment. That seems like a lot to me, but what do I know?

Quilt Store Front

Bolts on Pews

As you can see, stacking them works perfectly for bolts of cloth.

Then we get to a broader look at the room with a picture aimed toward the front. We’re adding all sorts of shelves and displays on the ends and up front, but this serves as the core.

Quilt Store Battleship Row

Loom Goddess Assembling a Floor Model

Now to the important part of the room, which is opposite the stacked pews. I call this Battleship Row, though I suspect the wife has a different name for it. Speaking of the Loom Goddess, here she is assembling a floor model and telling me just what she thinks of me taking her picture.

In the back, you can see the longarm quilting machine, a sewing machine setup, then we have the big loom (the one that wouldn’t fit in the van), then another loom for making rugs. As mentioned, we’ll have other looms to try out, along with a variety of other toys along that front wall.And we haven’t even talked about the side walkway. We’ll get to that eventually.

Front of Bookstore

I suspect many of you have been curious about the bookstore. My side isn’t as organized yet, though by the end of next week it’ll be much closer. Here’s the front, where I have 3 sets of 4 shelves plus 2 on the end and a shorter one in the window. I’ll be adding endcaps to each of the 3 sets, probably where I put some of the small publishing displays.

SFF Books Getting Sorted

Here’s a picture of the main wall of SF/F, along with horror and possibly mystery. This is just a start at getting all that alphabetized, and intermixed are new books plus books I’m keeping. For now, just getting this all sorted is a huge step.

I’m waiting on brackets to put up all the shelves. There’ll be 8 total 10ft long shelves here. The top is 12in wide for storage and fun displays. It’s to tall for me to reach easily, so it’s mostly just for flavor stuff. Yes, that’s a Munchkin figure as the first thing. Seems appropriate.The next shelf down will likely be too tall for many readers, so again, that’ll be for displays. However, that leaves 60 linear feet of space, which should do for SF/F, at least for the moment.By the way, some of you eagle-eyed folk might spot titles by friends. Again, this is a mass sort, and the books given to me by other indie/small press authors are going onto a bookshelf in the break room. The break room will serve as a place for those waiting on people shopping at the quilt store to relax. It’ll have comfy chairs, books, and a TV. Hopefully, they’ll check out some of your guys’ stuff.This idea, by the way, comes from the quilt companies in Hamilton, MO, who have a storefront dedicated entirely to getting non-quilters a comfy place to wait. Pictures to come when we get this somewhat close to done.

Office and Counter

Finally, at least for this set of pictures, is my desk and the counter of the store. Some friends might recognize the counter, which was made by some awesome people in Canada for their Pennsic set up. They decided it was too much, and I pounced. I think it’s an amazing piece of furniture and will proudly display their heraldry in my store.

Then there’s my desk. It’s a mess, but again, each day a few things get put into the right place. It’s a comfy, productive setup, so that part’s nice.Through the open door is our shipping station and then also a small den for me to relax in (and watch football without disturbing the wife). Most importantly, it has a chair that serves equally well for naps and bediting. Bediting, by the way, is when I edit on my phone, and the small screen really helps me see stuff I don’t on the computer.

So that’s a small tour of the building so far. It’s exciting. Not as exciting as typing “The End,” but it’s up there.

What I’m Listening To

Empire of the Clouds, by Iron Maiden. It’s an epic song about the R101 airship disaster.

Happenings in Anthony

Fall Fest is in a couple of weeks.

Our team name in trivia this week was “Even Mom Don’t Know.” We did really well, actually, missing out by only one point.

Quote of the Week

On this day, in 935 (maybe 928), Wenceslas I was assassinated. This is the Good King Wenceslas and the events around his death are interesting to any writer. Also, there’s a picture of his skull used for a ceremony on the Wikipedia page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia, and how cool is that?

Speaking of cool, here’s a link to Heather Dale’s version of the song, which is just amazing. youtube.com/watch?v=3W2vn6RlXMQ.

And here’s the 4th verse of the song, the one I like the best.

Sire, the night is darker now,
and the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how;
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page.
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
freeze thy blood less coldly.
– Good King Wenceslas, Václav Alois Svoboda, translated by John Mason Neale

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I gave birth to an age in elementary fashion

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Ruriksaga (48,341)Farewell, My Ugly (106,401)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

This week’s pre-release brings us back to the amazing Salvage Title universe. It’s Alex Rath’s Tails of Revenge, and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CJYGPJ9S.

D.T. Read’s Ganwold’s Child is out. This is not the next book in her excellent Seventh Shaman series, but is actually book one in the Sergey Chronicles. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CJDLJ4H2.

Your pre-release this week is

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 353.8

Updated Word Count: xxx,xxx

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

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Published on September 28, 2023 11:58

September 21, 2023

Rob’s Update: Over the Hump

Week 38 of 2023

Greetings all

Another productive week! Almost ready to send Farewell, My Ugly to the editor. Soooo close.

Where Now the Rider

First, I’m really excited about Where Now the Rider. It comes out on October 3rd, and is the 3rd of the Edward novels. In this one, Edward fulfills a promise made in A Lake Most Deep. Unfortunately, that promise involves asking questions most everyone thinks are better left forgotten. Edward ends up facing a foe who’s been plotting against Edward for far too long.

The ARC went out to the advance team this week, so if you’re on the team, check your inboxes. If you’re not on the advance team, but want to read new stuff before anyone else, drop me a line.

This is one of those “negative” writing weeks, in that I ended up with less words. However, somewhere around 85% of the story is polished so I’m getting there. Today, for example, I did my “that” search. I eliminate as many “thats” as I can, which ends up getting rid of a whole bunch of wasted verbiage. I did that for a couple other phrases/words that often just clog up the reading.

This is also the part where I’m starting to really love the story. I start with a cool idea, then I get to about 70k, and things get slow and boggy. Frustration sets in a bit as it’s tough. Then I get over the hump, and the story pops of the page again.

I’m at that point, which is always a great feeling.

Also close is the layout of the bookstore. By this time next week, I should have all the shelves constructed and start sorting books by category. Hopefully, next week, we’ll have a bunch of the layout of the quilt shop done. Also, might have our POS computers up.

What we did finish is the big multi-purpose room floor. It looks good. I’ll have pictures next week after we have the lighting redone. It has a dropped ceiling and we’re putting in 2x2ft LED panels that are really nice. We also put these in the AirBNB.

We aim to have the AirBNB ready at some point in October. We’ll be painting it next week, and might even have part of the floor done there too.

Progress, progress, progress.

What I’m Listening To

49ers v. Giants. Right now, the step-spawn is yelling at the TV.

Happenings in Anthony

I’m starting a new category this week, and that’s a local report from Anthony, KS.

We’ve started going to the Idle Hour’s Wednesday night trivia and half-price wings. Our name last week was, “We Don’t Have One.” This week it’s “We Still Don’t Know.” We’re doing okay, though it’s just the two of us and we have no clue about popular music. If you know popular stuff, come join us!

Speaking of trivia night, the city is hosting a trivia night on November 4th as a fundraiser. More details next week.

Quote of the Week

Today is Bill Murray’s birthday, and that’s a fact, Jack!

Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you’re donating blood.
– Bill Murray

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I gave birth to an age in elementary fashion

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Ruriksaga (48,341)Farewell, My Ugly (92,450)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

Book 4 of Kevin Ikenberry’s Guardian Covenant series is out. It’s entitled Volunteer Fury and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CHZ14TWK.

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

Your pre-release this week is D.T. Read’s Ganwold’s Child. This is not the next book in her excellent Seventh Shaman series, but is actually book one in the Sergey Chronicles. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CJDLJ4H2.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 351.6

Updated Word Count: 212,924

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

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Published on September 21, 2023 19:45

September 14, 2023

Rob’s Update: Coming Around the Bend

Week 37 of 2023

Greetings all

It’s amazing how productive I can be during weeks where I don’t have to travel. This was a very good week, and for the first time in a long time, I averaged over 1000 new words a day.

The main work was in Farewell, My Ugly, where I added over 7000 new words, plus did final edits on over half of it. The end and off to the editor should happen next week.

It’s finally coming around the bend. Thank goodness.

I also did work on the project coming out after that. I’ll talk about it more, but I started a short story in it and I got about 1600 words written in that one too.

Where Now the Rider

The big news this week, however, is I have a cover reveal! Where Now the Rider comes out on October 3rd, and here’s the cover. Many thanks to J. Caleb Designs for yet another great cover. As, of course, we expected because he is one of the best cover artists in the business.

This was also a great week for working on the building. We started laying floor in the big room. I expect we’ll have pictures next week because we’re done.

We also got the AirBnB cleaned out. We’re aiming for that to be available in October, but there’s a long way to go.

Finally, at some point next week, I can start organizing books. Plus there’s stock coming in for the quilt store. Hopefully next week we’ll have a logo to show off.

It’s been a great week. I hope yours go just as well!

What I’m Listening To

With our current setup, it’s really easy for me to watch Thursday Night Football and do my update. So, guess what I’m doing now?

Quote of the Week

“Give me a ping, Vasily. One ping only.”

Happy birthday to Sam Neill, who played Vasily Borodin in The Hunt for Red October. Here’s a quote from him, something I’m glad I’ve learned along the way.

“Failure is never quite so frightening as regret.”
– Sam Neill

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

I’ve done a bad job here, this week. Been focused on Farewell, My Ugly.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I gave birth to an age in elementary fashion

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Ruriksaga (48,341)Farewell, My Ugly (92,673)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

And more in the high-intensity Abner Fortis, ISMC series from P.A. Piatt. This time it’s Peace Dividend and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGXL8JYX.

Nic Plume completes her Shadows of Peace trilogy with Tinaree: Tempered by Blood. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CHDLXFLB.

Your pre-release this week is book 4 of Kevin Ikenberry’s Guardian Covenant series. It’s entitled Volunteer Fury and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CHZ14TWK.

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 354.2

Updated Word Count: 212,115

Firehall Sagas Archives: 737 entries

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

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Published on September 14, 2023 17:40

September 7, 2023

Rob’s Update: What the World Kneeds Now

Week 36 of 2023

Greetings all

At least, what the Rob kneeds now. He needs to not hurt his knee and then drive over 2000 miles over a weekend. Sadly, that’s exactly what Rob did this past weekend. Hard to have an especially productive week when you lose 4 full days between the trip and the recovery.

The Eyes of a Doll

Still, I did get some writing done. I got a couple thousand written on Farewell, My Ugly plus about 1500 on a short story I’ve wanted to write for a while.

I want to thank all of those who are part of New Mythology’s ARC team. I say it sometimes, but not enough. They do a great job helping up have great releases. I especially want to thank them for all the help getting The Eyes of a Doll released. You can get that here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

We could use a few more on our ARC team, though, so if you’re interested in contributing to what we’re building, hit me up. You get to read cool stuff and be part of the magic.

I did a goodly amount of work on this house this week too. We’re ticking off things, despite the normal challenges of DIY stuff. By the end of next week, we’ll be kicking it into hyperdrive organizing the stores. I’ll have shelves. We’ll have storage. Exciting times.

Also next week, we’ll be ramping up for the release of Where Now the Rider, book 3 of the Firehall Sagas. Edward’s back and this time has to fulfill a promise he made in A Lake Most Deep, despite the fact that Zupan Vukasin really doesn’t want to see that happen.

Expect a cover reveal next week, too.

Also coming soon is an announcement about an anthology that includes, quite literally, the first story I ever wrote. It goes back to 1997, long before I thought I’d ever really write for a career.

For now, I’m going back to work.

What I’m Listening To

The Chiefs v. the Lions. The NFL is back, and I’m here for it.

Quote of the Week

One of my favorite songs to sing in the SCA is Conn MacNeil’s Crusader’s Song. Today happens to be the anniversary of the Battle of Arsuof, which is more than enough excuse for me to quote from that song.

“At Arsouf on the coastline we met with the Paynim,
We won the battle, though many men fell,
And one was a Baron with lands that need tending,
Now they are mine, and I’ll tend them well.”
– Conn MacNeill, Crusader’s Song.

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I gave birth to an age in elementary fashion

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Farewell, My Ugly (85,012)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsAnthony Fall Fest, October 14, Anthony, KS20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

And more in the high-intensity Abner Fortis, ISMC series from P.A. Piatt. This time it’s Peace Dividend and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGXL8JYX.

This week’s pre-release is Nic Plume’s Tinaree: Tempered by Blood. This is book 3 in her Shadows of Peace series and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CHDLXFLB.

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 352.0

Updated Word Count: 211,456

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 07, 2023 17:26

August 31, 2023

Rob’s Update: Wish Not One Man More

Week 35 of 2023

Greetings all

The Eyes of a Doll

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

Edward returns and all he has to do is find a little girl’s doll. There’s no way that ends up involving Achrida’s crime lords, murderous servants of the emperor, and an ancient evil, right? Right?

It was a pretty good week of writing, almost 5000 words more in Farewell, My Ugly. I hope to do better next week, but I’ve been faced with so much around the house.

I spent this week wishing for one man more. Or woman. And I got it. With lots of help, we got a ton done around the house.

The big news here is that the classroom/temp office/storage/game room is ready to lay floor. This room is about 1000 square feet, and it was sort of a catchall room. But it’s been cleaned out, carpet floor strips removed, floor trim salvaged, and we have the underlayment ready to install.

This is one of the biggest dominoes we’ve needed to fall, because once it’s built, we can set up her fabric storage shelves. Just getting all the fabric totes out of the big room will be a huge step.

I also managed to get my woodshop to the point where I can putter without necessarily having to move something first. Some of its shelves are up and ready to go, and I can use the table saw, which will be needed for the underlayment of the big room.

The previous owner had bought some windows for our apartment area, and we got those installed. This is a major thing in terms of heating and air, as it’s a bank of 4 big west-facing windows.

Also, now we can set up the bar.

We made major progress cleaning out the AirBNB room, too. Some of that is the simple fact the windows were stored in there, but there’s a bunch more that’s gone.

A big help today was the arrival of Autumn from Prairie Rose Mortuary. This is the other mortuary in Harper County, and I asked her to come over and take all the things she might want, like coffin inserts and such.

The place we bought was a mortuary, by the way, if you didn’t know. Prairie Rose is the reason we were able to buy this place, because Anthony is… wait for it… a one-hearse town.

I’m pretty proud of that one.

And if you need an out-of-date style coffin for your Halloween, hit me up.

What I’m Listening To

The Cult, She Sells Sanctuary. This isn’t in my top 10 songs of all time, but it ain’t far off.

Quote of the Week

Happy Deathday to Henry V. Okay, so maybe deathdays aren’t as enjoyable as birthday, but he died August, 31, 1422, and if you think I’m going to pass up a chance to quote part of the Crispin’s Day speech, well, now you know.

God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
– Henry V, Shakespeare

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I gave birth to an age in elementary fashion

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Farewell, My Ugly (82,888)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming Events20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

More 4HU! This time it’s from a new author in the universe, William S. Frisbee. Get Brass, Inc. here; amazon.com/dp/B0CGCJQXKS.

And more in the high-intensity Abner Fortis, ISMC series from P.A. Piatt. This time it’s Peace Dividend and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGXL8JYX.

The Eyes of a Doll is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CGMV3B91.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 351.6

Updated Word Count: 210,728

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

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Published on August 31, 2023 17:29

August 24, 2023

Rob’s Update: Home, Sweet Home

Week 34 of 2023

Greetings all

It’s been a hectic week. I spent a goodly amount of it in North Dakota with family. There was more than a little cuteness with a grandbaby and a kitten, but a bunch of stuff to do.

The Eyes of a Doll

It was so busy I barely mentioned my new release. Last Friday, Imagine That!, the new collection of postcard nanostories released by Raconteur Press, came out. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CFX7XPPW.

I’ve also hardly mentioned that The Eyes of a Doll, sequel to A Lake Most Deep, comes out next Tuesday. How did it get to be late August already?

Nevertheless, the Firehall Sagas continues! The Eyes of a Doll does come out in only 5 days. Edward is back and all he has to do is retrieve a lost doll. Nothing could go wrong with that, right?

And if you want the first in that series, A Lake Most Deep, you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL. Following that, by the way, will be Where Now the Rider, coming out on October 3rd.

I’m getting back into the groove finishing Farewell, My Ugly. About all I could do during much of the recent traveling was editing it, so I’m farther along on that than I normally in, but behind on the new content. I’m actually down on my count from last week, cutting several thousand wasted words out, but I expect to get those back tomorrow or the day after.I have a number of other irons in the fire right now, but I’m still recovering from a month on the road, so for now, I’ll wish you all a good week.

What I’m Listening To

The Steelers v. the Falcons in preseason. Football is almost here, baby!

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Stephen Fry!

“You are who you are when nobody’s watching.”
– Stephen Fry

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I am a king Conquering all before me

Latest Snippet: Chapter 2 of A Lake Most Deep

New Mythology Works in ProgressI’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.Current Schedule of New Mythology Press

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Farewell, My Ugly (78,255)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming Events20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

This week we have the heart-pounding conclusion to TimTaylor’s Chimera Company series, The Last Redoubt. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CFTDXCTP.

Your pre-release this week is more 4HU, and it’s from a new author in the universe, William S. Frisbee. Get Brass, Inc. here; amazon.com/dp/B0CGCJQXKS.

And remember, The Eyes of a Doll comes out on Tuesday!

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 356.6

Updated Word Count: 209,934

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 24, 2023 18:53

August 17, 2023

Rob’s Update: A Left Turn At Albuquerque

Week 33 of 2023

Greetings all

Well, I made it home safely from Pennsic. However, I had to jump right back on the road up to North Dakota for some family things. Nearly 40 hours of driving in 4 days makes a tired me. There are some great things happening, though.

Thomas Guarding JJ

Check out this picture of Thomas the Cat taking care of JJ the Grandbaby. We’ve actually had an abundance of cuteness as not only is there JJ, there’s a tiny kitten my sweetie rescued bumbling around.

I haven’t done much work this week, for reasons not excuses, but I can’t complain about all the cuteness.

Also, there’s so much going on with stuff already in progress, I barely have time to breath. First, it’s been a month since A Hope In Hell came out. This is book 3 in Christopher G. Nuttall’s excellent Heirs of Cataclysm trilogy. It’s been a great honor to be a part of this and you can see why by getting it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CBDGZ7D6/.

A Lake Most Deep is only a couple of weeks old and I’m very pleased with the release. Here’s one of my favorite reviews on the book so far: jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2023/08/rob-howells-lake-most-deep.html. Thanks to Jim for such an in-depth review.

Get A Lake Most Deep here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

The Eyes of a Doll

I did a cover reveal of The Eyes of a Doll last week, but here it is again. It comes out on the 29th, so in less than two weeks.

In this one, Edward just has to retrieve a girl’s doll lost at a picnic. What could go wrong?

But wait, there’s more. I was accepted to an anthology of horror coming out around Halloween. Expect a cool cover reveal in a few weeks. My contribution is literally the first story I ever wrote. Man, did I cringe when I edited it.

And there’s still more!

Imagine That!

Imagine That!, a new Postcards anthology following Imaginarium, comes out tomorrow. Again, I’m honored the folks at Raconteur Press chose my story and I think you’ll all like it.

After we get all the family stuff dealt with, I’m looking forward to an extended period of little travel. It’s time to start settling down after a really busy past few months.

What I’m Listening To

The baby and the kitten playing together. Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Brian Aldiss, who has a quote that really resonates with me. I’ve certainly never fit into the system.

Why had I become a writer in the first place? Because I wasn’t fit for society; I didn’t fit into the system.
– Brian Aldiss

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I am a king Conquering all before me

Latest Snippet: Chapter 2 of A Lake Most Deep

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in ProgressSowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Farewell, My Ugly (80,232)Rick Blaine (8,845)The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)Upcoming EventsPennsic War, July 28 – August 13, Slippery Rock, PA, pennsicwar.org20Books to 50K, November 6-10, Las Vegas, NV
20booksvegas.comPlanet Comicon, March 8-10, Kansas City, KS
planetcomicon.com/New Releases

More MilSF awesomeness! Stand on Xanadu, book 9 in John E. Siers’ amazing Lunar Free State series, is out. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CF441GQ7.

Your pre-release this week is the heart-pounding conclusion to TimTaylor’s Chimera Company series, The Last Redoubt. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CFTDXCTP.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 356.0

Updated Word Count: 209,354

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 17, 2023 19:16

August 10, 2023

Rob’s Update: Madness Recovery Program

Week 32 of 2023

Greetings all

We’re MAAAADDDD!!!!

It’s the 2nd Thursday of Pennsic and that means one thing: It’s the day after Moonlight Madness, which means everything is slow in the merchant area.

Moonlight Madness is as much roaming around with friends in the merchant area as it is a shopping time. We had a great evening, with a lot of traffic interested in our vine-ripened, organic, dolphin-safe madness, so it was a lot of fun.

Overall, Pennsic has been incredibly busy. My writing output is nowhere near what I expected, but that’s because we’ve sold way more than ever. In fact, on Monday, we’d sold more than we had at any previous Pennsic. There were several irregular expenses for this Pennsic having to do with the new trailer and other such things so I hoped to break even. We did way better than that.

I got 20 copies of A Lake Most Deep and I sold them. In fact, I had people coming up asking for The Eyes of a Doll. And Where Now the Rider. So all that is exciting.

That being said, I did make some progress on Farewell, My Ugly. I got through an editing pass to catch up with where I’d lost track during the move, and I added a number of scenes to conclude various threads. I’d hoped to be in the 90s by the end of the week, but the 80s with a lot of sales will have to do.

I also had quite a bit of interest in Rob’s Riddles. Obviously, more subscribers there would be very nice.

I entitled this Madness Recovery Program, but the truth is there’s so much left to do before leaving, that program will have to start when we get home. We have the kingdom party tonight then the long process of packing out. I should be on the road Saturday morning and it’ll be good to get back to the kitties.

With that, I better take care of the customers coming into my store.

What I’m Listening To

Conversations around the merchant area, like last week. It’s a beautiful day here and people are strolling about enjoying the last couple of days of Pennsic. A pair of friends are warping the last two looms I have for sale, and they’re talking weaving stuff that is way too complicated for me.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull! That’s one of my favorite bands ever, which is probably not a real surprise.

This quote is from Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day, which is in my top 10 songs of all time.

“You were bred for humanity and sold to society.
One day you’ll wake up in the present day,
a million generations removed from the expectations
of being who you really want to be.”
– Jethro Tull, Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day

Rob’s Riddles

I have a Patreon where I write Old English style riddles and provide snippets of my work. You can find it here: patreon.com/rhodri2112, along with a sample riddle.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I am a king Conquering all before me

Latest Snippet: Chapter 2 of A Lake Most Deep

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Book 9 in Chris Kennedy and J.N. Chaney’s Uplink Squadron MilSF series is out! This one is Uplink Squadron: To Rule in Heaven and you can get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6L99R43.

And, of course, A Lake Most Deep, book 1 of the Firehall Sagas is live. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

Your pre-release this week is more MilSF awesomeness! It’s Stand on Xanadu, book 9 in John E. Siers’ amazing Lunar Free State series. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CF441GQ7.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 352.0

Updated Word Count: 208,641

Firehall Sagas Archives: 743 entries

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