Category Archives: Aesc & Thorn Publishing

Posts related to Aesc & Thorn Publishing and various aspects of Rob’s professional life.

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: To Tuesday

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Week 17 of 2025

Greetings all

Welll…. That experiment didn’t work. Apparently, if I don’t post every week, I lose track of things. So, I’m  going back to posting every week, with the occasional exception because of events. However, I am still switching things up and moving to Tuesdays.

That being said, welcome back! Sorry for the month-long absence.

What’s been happening this past month? Mostly it’s been work on Anthony’s Balloon Festival. When I’d volunteered to assist the Anthony Chamber of Commerce, I’d anticipated more of a clerical job, but it’s morphed into an event administrator. While I enjoy event administration, it has significantly distracted me from writing and editing. Hence, I’m stepping away from that job after this event.

This is another reason I’ve been poor at these updates. I’ve almost been taken completely away from my real work, so while I’ve gotten paid, it’s been a net loss for me. Ah, well live and learn.

I am working on several short stories and editing some old stuff for re-release. I’d hoped to be much farther along by now, but we’ll get rolling as soon as we can.

For now, though, have a great week!

What I’m Listening To

NFL Draft talk, As you probably remember, I’m a big draft fan and will be watching closely for developments all week long. For the record, I want Dallas to trade down from 12 and get Emeka Egbuka, the WR from Ohio State in the later part of the first round.

Quote of the Week

Lots of interesting birthdays on April 22nd, but I’ll got with Janet Evanovich. Here’s a quote from her that’s one of my main writing principals.

“Make sure your main characters are likeable. They can be flawed, but your readers need to be able to root for them.”
– Janet Evanovich

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week’s advanced sale is Shadow on the Moon, the 12th book in John E. Siers’ Lunar Free State series. This is the final book in the first arc, so don’t miss out on the conclusion! Everything comes down to this! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0F51QZ7XW/

Your pre-release this week is Recon by Fire, the 4th book in Chris Kennedy’s Symbiote Wars series. With only one book to go in the series (which will be out on June 6), now’s the time to jump in on the series if you haven’t. The Sutton siblings are in it up to their elbows this time! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DZJ3XNX8/

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 354.6lbs

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: A Gauntlet Run

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Week 13 of 2025

Greetings all

My favorite video game growing up was Gauntlet. I loved it so much it ended up being one reason I flunked out of KU. Of course, given who I was then, it would have been something else if it hadn’t been that.

Why do I mention that? No real reason, except that March was a bit of a gauntlet, and it’s likely to be a regular thing going forward. Gulf Wars would, I think, have been an unqualified success if we hadn’t lost two prime selling days.

And then there’s GaryCon.

The downside of GaryCon is expense. The hotel cost is significant, plus of course food at the Grand Geneva isn’t cheap. The amazing dealing room doesn’t help, either.

Last year, I wondered if it would be worth all that money. However, like so many things, if you go multiple years, things start to stack, and this year’s experience showed this is stacking quickly. I had a much more productive time this year and I expect it to be even better going forward. Name recognition is important, and I had several people go, “Oh, you’re the writer guy” or something like it.

I have some ideas about next year. I’m going to try and meld some different experiences with the gaming community there.

Chentoufi, City of Intrigue and Secrets
Chentoufi, City of Intrigue and Secrets

The big highlight was the release of Chentoufi: A City of Intrigue and Secrets. It’s awesome to see that in the wild.

Another highlight came Sunday evening. Ernie Gygax passed away recently, and we participated in a charity game for him. This was held at his house, hosted by his wife Donna, and ran by an excellent GM who had an interesting plan.

He divided the game into 3 parts and used each part to give the players a chance to experience early role-playing. The first part was a Braunstein game, which was one of the earliest progenitors of D&D. Basically, players get a character with a series of goals and resources and negotiate amongst each other.

I’ve experienced something like this in Model UN and in some of the Junior Achievement events. I liked those events a ton in part because they felt like D&D, and this brought it around full circle.

Then we played a sort of make up your own version of D&D. Basically, we had no books, but we were told our characters were experienced adventurers. Then the DM told us to do things experienced adventurers would do. We had to guess from our descriptions everything we could do. If we could cast spells, we had to essentially make them up on the spot.

It was an intriguing thing. As experienced players, we all fell back on various spells and things we did, but it was still basically a player saying to the judge, “We want to do X,” and the judge ruling on it.

I rather liked it. I might try something like that with my players.

Anyway, this past month has been productive on a number of fronts, including some editing and writing here and there. Not as much as I’ll do in April given that I’ll be home the bulk of the time, but I managed a goodly amount in the margins.

Next week is reorganizing and getting back into the groove. I have a number of writing projects in mind, including some new ideas. I also have some editing projects to do.

For now, I’m enjoying the time with my wife and the kitties after running that gauntlet. Have a great week!

What I’m Listening To

Inspector Lewis tonight. It’s the 3rd of the Morse trilogy of BBC mysteries. All 3 are great.

Quote of the Week

I had a hard time choosing this week’s quote. On the one hand, there’s Kevin J. Anderson, a fantastic writer and a great guy. On the other, there’s the Captain, Nathan Fillion. On the gripping hand, it’s Opening Day so there should be a baseball quote.

Baseball it is! This one comes from Humphrey Bogart, so I can think of him saying this while holding a golden falcon statue in a suave cabaret in Casablanca.

“A hot dog at the game beats roast beef at the Ritz.”
– Humphrey Bogart

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Interstellar Gambit, the second book in Dawn Chapman’s Through Steel and Stars series. The first book in this series did outstandingly well, so if you missed it, grab it and jump in—it’s not too late! This book will have a simultaneous release in audio (to go with the ebook and paperback). Get whichever you prefer here: amazon.com/dp/B0DZK4F4TM.

Your pre-release this week is Bound and Determined, the second book in Michael LaVoice’s Gladius Leagues series. Nick Landry defeated the Onslaught on Miranatha, but will he be able to liberate his home world? Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0F2J47JJ3.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 357.0lbs

Updated Word Count: 40,000

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: A Writer of Intrigue and Secrets

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Week 12 of 2025

Greetings all

I think this is week 12 of 2025, but to be honest, I’ve sort of lost track over the last month. I’ve traveled something like 5000 miles in the last 4-5 weeks and had two different book releases, along with a bunch of other stuff going on. It’s been really productive, but I’m not sure what day it is.

Like, I think today’s Wednesday (it is, my computer tells me), but I wasn’t sure when I woke up. And I know I usually send these out on Thursday, but tomorrow is literally packed from 7am to 10pm and I bet at that point I’m not setting up an update.

So you get it a day early, or really, 6 days late as I’d promised to send you one last Thursday. However… things didn’t go as planned at Gulf Wars. I’ll get to that in a bit.

Chentoufi, City of Intrigue and Secrets
Chentoufi, City of Intrigue and Secrets

First, I have something awesome to share. Chentoufi, City of Intrigue and Secrets is now out, though it’s not yet available online.

Still, check out this cover! I have this copy in my hand and will have copies for sale down the road. Stay tuned for that information.

I can also add we’re already working on the next expansion.

We’re giving out a bunch of these to GMs at GaryCon, which is of course where I’m at now. I’ve already seen a bunch of people here I saw last year, and though I’ve yet to play any games this week, it’s already been a blast. I’ve gotten a chance to meet and chat with Zeb Cook and Ed Greenwood among others. So yeah, lots of bucket list items off the list.

Last week I was at Gulf Wars and I’d anticipated having time on Thursday to send this particular update out. However, as you might have heard, tornadoes went across Mississippi on Saturday. They missed the Gulf Wars site, but we knew severe weather was on the way, and so we packed out and left on Friday instead of Sunday, thereby avoiding any bad weather.

For the time I was there, however, Gulf went well. I sold a little less than I wanted, but I exceeded my daily goals, so an extra two days of sales would’ve cleared all my goals.

I didn’t have huge goals for Gulf, though. I do really well at Pennsic but some of that is because I’ve been selling there for 8 years straight. I have a fan base there that I don’t have at Gulf, having last sold there in 2019. Plus, of course, Gulf is about a 3rd the size of Pennsic.

Still, it was well worth going. I made a small profit, which means I did well given that number doesn’t include follow-up ebook sales. Plus, I got to try some new innovations Gwen a’Brooke and I have been talking about for Pennsic and I got a couple of great nights of singing, which are both really valuable.

Of course, we’re still only about a month from the release of The Feasting of Vengeance, the third book in my Foresters Trilogy. I have to say I’m astounded at the reaction given that we’re already up to 76 reviews. Thanks everyone!

If you haven’t read it, you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DWV68DQK.

Whew! What an exciting last few weeks. Now, I’m going to go hang out with a bunch of gamers. Have a great week.

What I’m Listening To

Roundabout by Yes on the hotel’s Classic Rock channel. Always a nice choice.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Wyatt Earp! Among the many stories about Wyatt, I think my favorite is that he was an advisor on early western movies. One actor in particular studied him, and while I bet John Wayne would’ve done okay anyway, having Earp as an exemplar probably didn’t help.

And then there’s this quote. I really like “take your time in a hurry.”

“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything. In a gun fight… You need to take your time in a hurry.”
– Wyatt Earp

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Gaining the Edge, the third book in Chris Kennedy’s Symbiote Wars series. An opportunity has presented itself, and the siblings want to take advantage of it. When things don’t go as planned, though, will they still be able to gain the edge they’re looking for? Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DZJ34KZ7.

Your pre-release this week is Interstellar Gambit, the second book in Dawn Chapman’s Through Steel and Stars series. The first book in this series did outstandingly well, so if you missed it, grab it and jump in—it’s not too late! This book will have a simultaneous release in audio (to go with the ebook and paperback). Get whichever you prefer here: amazon.com/dp/B0DZK4F4TM.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 362.8lbs

Updated Word Count: 40,000

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Kukuluki’s Time Has Come

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Week 7 of 2025

Greetings all

The Feasting of Vengeance
The Feasting of Vengeance

The Feasting of Vengeanceis live! This is the third book in my Foresters Trilogy, which is part of the Four Horsemen Universe.

The hunt for Kukuluki continues.

In a galaxy where treachery and double-dealing is the normal way of conducting business, Kukuluki is in a league of his own. And if you get on his bad side, like the Queen Elizabeth’s Own Foresters have, he’ll use those skills to make sure you regret it.

The time has come for vengeance. The Foresters and their allies are arming themselves to rid the galaxy of his evil.

But first, they have to find him. Then avoid all the traps he’s surely set in their path. And then defeat all the mercs one of the richest beings in the galaxy can afford.

Both sides know the stakes. It’s time to be tenacious and versatile.

I’m really pleased with this book. It has more action than any other book I’ve written, with characters I really care about risking their lives. Spoiler alert: Not all of them survive, and I had some emotional moments during the writing process.

Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DWV68DQK.

Again, many thanks to Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey for letting me play in their sandbox. All told, the Foresters saga will end up being over 400,000 of the best words I’ve ever written.

It’s time for a beer after that!

And I’m having one here in the hotel bar at FenCon. It’s going to be a great weekend and here’s what I’ve got planned:

  • Friday  4:00 PM  – 5:00 PM  Teak
    Facts Behind Folklore and Urban Legends
  • Saturday  2:00 PM  – 3:00 PM  Ebony
    Founding Fathers and Mothers
  • Saturday  4:00 PM  – 8:00 PM  Game Room
    Running the Okkorim 5E Module Rogue’s Gambit
  • Saturday  10:00 PM  – Whenever  Terrace Bar & Grill
    4HU Hangout
  • Sunday  1:00 PM  – 2:00 PM  Ebony   
    Noir: The Enduring Legacy of Gritty Fiction

It’s going to be a great weekend!

This past week was not productive at all because there was so much going on. I edited some stuff for Okkorim, but didn’t get a chance to do any writing or editing of my own stuff.

Things clear up a bit when I get back next week, though. I’ll be working on some editing, dabbling on a new writing idea, and finishing some Okkorim stuff for this quarter. Plus, I’m going to do some woodworking.

But for now, I’m going to bed so tomorrow I can talk about my new release!

What I’m Listening To

Nothing actually, except the hum of machinery in the hotel.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Chuck Yeager. Here’s a quote from him that’s true of everything. You have to work at it, one way or another.

 There’s no such thing as a natural-born pilot.
–  Chuck Yeager

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have the Feasting of Vengeance! This is the third book in my Foresters Trilogy, which is part of the Four Horsemen Universe. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DWV68DQK.

And Interstellar Pawn by Dawn Chapman, the first book in her Through Steel and Stars series. In addition to being a great story, I think it has the best CKP cover EVER. I almost stole it from her, just because. I don’t have a story for it—I just love it! “Interstellar Pawn” is also something new for CKP—it’s a LitRPG scifi novel. Give it a look here: amazon.com/dp/B0DT3GD1Q4.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 364.8lbs

Updated Word Count: 8,000

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Vengeance on the Horizon

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Week 6 of 2025

Greetings all

A week from now, I’ll be in DFW, looking forward to an amazing Friday!

The Feasting of Vengeance
The Feasting of Vengeance

The Feasting of Vengeance comes out then and I’ll be at FenCon. What a great combination.

I look forward to seeing a number of you then. I’ll be doing a release party and a 4HU panel, plus I’ll be running Rogue’s Gambit, a module I helped write in Okkorim. Plus other panels and hanging out with a great crew down there.

This has been a week of distractions, however. It seems like every time I turn around there’s another thing going on. Kinda crazy, and I didn’t do as much as I’d hoped. Still, we did a bunch in Okkorim and I got some editing done, so it wasn’t a waste.

This weekend, I’ll be at an SCA event where I’ll step down from the position of Gold Falcon. It’s the kingdom principal herald, which basically means I’m the herald in charge of the kingdom.

I had a number of great ideas to liven up the position, and some of them went well. However, I took the job about a week before we came and looked at the house down here. Shockingly, the move and subsequent life changes took away from my work in the SCA.

That being said, I am proud of some things I did. In fact, I’ll probably publish a collection of my monthly letters. They were usually fun, whimsical discussions of heraldry. I doubt I’ll sell many of them, but as I said, I’m proud of them and I do have a small market.

It’s a little bittersweet, because it was something awesome, but it’s definitely past time for me to step down.

Anyway, time to go. Have a great week everyone.

What I’m Listening To

The Metro done by System of a Down. Honestly, while I love the original, this cover is so good.

Quote of the Week

It’s a really interesting day for birthdays, including Babe Ruth, Ronald Reagan, and Bob Marley.

However, it’s also Coronation Day for Elizabeth II. In 1952. What a reign. And what a person.

When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”

– Queen Elizabeth II

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Opening Moves, the 2nd book in Chris Kennedy’s Symbiote Wars series. Fighting in both space and on the ground, giant monsters, and evil bad guys—it’s got it all! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DSTYXDJC.

This week’s pre-release is Interstellar Pawn by Dawn Chapman, the first book in her Through Steel and Stars series. In addition to being a great story, I think it has the best CKP cover EVER. I almost stole it from her, just because. I don’t have a story for it—I just love it! “Interstellar Pawn” is also something new for CKP—it’s a LitRPG scifi novel. Give it a look here: amazon.com/dp/B0DT3GD1Q4.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 363.8lbs

Updated Word Count: 7,000

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: After ChattaCon

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Week 5 of 2025

Greetings all

I was exhausted last week because ChattaCon was so awesome! I had a great time doing my little schtick as the Master of Toast. Thanks to Lee for letting me go wild a bit and to Brandy Spraker for showing insufficient reluctance. In fact, thanks to them and the whole ChattaCon crew, especially Regina Kirby, for granting me the honor.

One of the best parts was getting to know the other guests: Gail Z. Martin, Amy Brewer-Davenport, Delilah Dawson, and Dot Steverson. What a great group! And talented.

I got to interview Gail, which was a lot of fun, plus we were both part of a Victorian cursing panel. We used Victorian curses to write an improve story. Quite fun!

I also got to play Tales of the Valiant, a new TTRPG with Dot Steverson from the company she works for, Kobold Press. We had a blast, though anyone who lets Scott Tackett loose with is going to have fun.

It was just a blast, and again, I couldn’t be more honored to have the opportunity.

The Feasting of Vengeance
The Feasting of Vengeance

Last week was a one of recovery, which is why I didn’t get out a newsletter. However, there’s big doings coming!

The Feasting of Vengeance comes out in two weeks! I’ll be at FenCon to announce it. Take a look at the cover art!

I made it as powerful and explosive as I could, and I was really pleased with it. It’s a great conclusion to the Foresters trilogy, if I do say so myself.  I won’t give a teaser, but Chris seems to agree, saying he especially liked the ending.

I think you’ll love it.

Now I’m turning my attention to events, which fill up my next couple of months. I’ll be at FenCon in two weeks, then Gulf Wars and GaryCon back to back in March.

I’m really looking forward to having a great time, but I bet I’m exhausted at the end of March.

In the meantime, I’m re-editing I Am a Wondrous Thing, which I may rename as I rewrite that entire series. I’ll release the 5 books hopefully starting later in the year after new edits and new art.

I’m also helping with Okkorim, and I’m really excited where that’s going! I keep telling you we’ve got great stuff coming, and that time nears. GaryCon is going to be amazing.

With that, I’m going to say goodbye for this week. Have a great time!

What I’m Listening To

Inspector Morse. One of my favorites of the BBC mysteries with a great curmudgeonly lead character.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Gregory Benford! His quote today has been something I’ve tried to live up to of late.

 The biggest mistake is being too afraid of making one.
– Gregory Benford

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have House of Owls, the 6th book in Jon R. Osborne’s Milesian Accords series. Magic is back in the world, but Liam’s children have been stolen, and it’s time to act! Speaking of acting—you’re going to want to grab this book now here: amazon.com/dp/B0DTX9GR5C.

Your pre-release this week is Opening Moves, the 2nd book in my Symbiote Wars series. I’ve written over 70 books now, and this one is in my Top 5 all time. Fighting in both space and on the ground, giant monsters, and evil bad guys—it’s got it all! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DSTYXDJC.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 364.8lbs

Updated Word Count: 5,000

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: ChattaCon

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Week 3 of 2025

Greetings all

It’ll be a shortish newsletter this week as I’m in Chattanooga at ChattaCon. I look forward to seeing a bunch of you here!

The Feasting of Vengeance
The Feasting of Vengeance

But first, here’s a cover reveal for The Feasting of Vengeance, which comes out on February 14th!

Here’s my schedule:

  • Opening Ceremonies starting at 7pm on Friday. I have something special planned. You want to join us!
  • 8pm on Friday: I get to play Tales of the Valiant on stage with Chelsea Steverson, Gaming GOH
  • 10pm on Friday: Victorian Vulgarities. I get to make up appropriate curse words. Bwa ha, bwa ha ha!
  • 2pm on Saturday: I have the opportunity to interview Gail Z. Martin, the GOH
  • 4pm on Saturday: We talk about good secondary characters in Urban Fantasy
  • Noon on Sunday: A discussion of 20th century SF
  • 1pm on Sunday: Final questions for all the GOHs, including me

This is going to be a blast! And now I’m off to hang out with all the cool people here.

What I’m Listening To

I listened to Dragons of Autumn Twilight, book 1 of the DragonLance Chronicles on the trip, and I’ve got it going in the hotel room.

Quote of the Week

Sigh. There are a number of deaths in my sphere this week. Howard Andrew Jones, an excellent author I was looking forward to really getting to know over the years, passed today. So did Bob Uecker.

And so did Bob Hill, my stepfather. I wish I’d gotten to know him too.

I’m in an odd mood where the Stoicism of Marcus Aurelius is a bit of a comfort.

“Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.”
– Marcus Aurelius

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 362.2lbs

Updated Word Count: 2474

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Philosophers & Plowmen

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Week 2 of 2025

Greetings all

This week I’ll go over some of my goals and plans for the new year. Before I do that, I’ll digress a moment.

It’s been 5 years since Neil Peart of Rush died. His writing, whether in his lyrics or his books, still resonates with me and I haven’t yet gotten over his passing. You can expect the What I’m Listening To section to be only Rush over the next month, as is true every January since 2020.

Anyway, let’s talk about the future! My first goal of 2025 is to clean up and republish the Irina series that began with I Am A Wondrous Thing. I have 4 books finished, but they’ve been unavailable for a bit because of some false starts along the way.

So, I’ll be re-editing those first 4, plus writing Book 5, the conclusion, throughout the year. My goal is to rapid release those starting somewhere like September and October, finishing the series in early 2026.

Now that I’m done with the Foresters series, I’m probably going to write some new science fiction short stories. I have a number of ideas that might turn into series, and I haven’t written as many short stories in the last couple of years. I’m going to try and put out 4 of them in 2025.

One of those may be another Nick Patara, PI stories. I’ve written 3 of them and they need re-editing, plus I might put them out along with a 4th one as a set. Maybe set it up as a serial in a different type of publishing. I’d like to see other options.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue with the Okkorim stuff as long as Luke and Matt will let me. I love what we’re doing there and can’t wait until we have stuff start rolling off regularly, which will happen this year. Ideally, I can also get another client or two in the gaming world.

Overall, my aim is to get more words out than I ever have before, which means something like 450k. I count edited words in this, but only at 1/4 word, by the way.

I have been working with the Anthony Chamber of Commerce for a few months now. My big goal here is to set up regular processes that don’t rely on a single person. This will help me make the events Anthony has work better. Obviously, I’m investing a lot of my future in this town, and I want to keep contributing here.

On the personal side, now that things are actually settling into a routine, I want to add consistent workouts and losing weight. Obviously, that’s been a goal for a while, but things have been wonky.

My wife and I have never taken a vacation. Yes, we’ve traveled 1000s of miles together and done a bunch of awesome things, but that’s all been part of the SCA, or a thing for either one of us. I’d like us to go somewhere like Venice, Florence, and Rome. Something like that. Maybe that happens in 2025, maybe 2026, but it needs to happen.

I expect I won’t get all of that done in 2025, but these are reasonable things to shoot for. Whatever i get done, I’m excited about how much I get to do!

What I’m Listening To

Closer to the Heart, Rush. I’m no plowman, but I’m trying to be a philosopher who knows my part.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to another musical hero, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.

This particular quote resonates with me as I sit here on a snowy day in Anthony. We took a chance coming here. It was the right decision both based on what we knew and where we are now, but it was a chance. I’m glad we’re here.

“So many people are frightened to take a chance in life and there’s so many chances you have to take.”
– Jimmy Page

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Hero’s Shadow, the second book in Fred Hughes’ Heroes of Britannia series. Admiral Julie Adams has been tasked with ending the Teddy Bear problem, but it won’t be as simple as she—or anyone else—might like! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DRZ6WBB3.

This week’s pre-release is Blood of Her Father by Kacey Ezell and Marisa Wolf, the fifth book in the Ashes of Entecea series. If you’ve read anything by either of these authors (which I have to imagine everyone on this list has), then you know it’s going to be great. When last seen (in The Conqueror’s Promise), Isonei was a spoiled brat who showed promise. Will she live up to that promise? Surrounded by people with their own motives, though, perhaps a better question is, “Will she survive to her majority?”

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 363.8lbs

Updated Word Count: 2,087

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Happy New Year

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Week 1 of 2025

Greetings all

First of all, I really dropped the ball in terms of updates in December. I missed two then had one that I didn’t send out, despite having it ready to go.

The big part is that I missed the release of Chernobog’s Wrath, the 3rd in H.Y. Gregor’s excellent Vechnoye Saga series. Get that here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0DRDYS78R.

Some of that is because I had perhaps the most family-filled holiday season I can recall, especially if I include friends and customers in that. We had our store’s birthday party on the 21st (It’ll be December 20th in 2025, so mark your calendars). Then we had an extended time with the moms, the guys, and the grandbaby, which was fun. Baking Christmas cookies with the grandbaby was a delight. Then we popped down to Fayetteville for a couple of days with good friends to celebrate the New Year.

Now, that’s no excuse for not doing my work, but during that time, I was also cranking out a bunch of words to hit a deadline, which I did. In effect, I put the family and the project ahead of updates, which shows good priorities, but not good efficiency on my part. I’ll try to do better in 2025.

In fact, next week, I will lay out some of my goals for 2025, but for today, it’s time to look back on 2024.

From a personal perspective, there was a lot of settling in to a new life here in Anthony as store owners. We spent a bunch of time, especially at the beginning of the year, figuring out our basic processes, which we’ve generally done.

We started the year with my office in the front where I could more easily help with customers, but we decided a couple of months ago, the efficiency gained with the store didn’t outweigh the efficiency gained with my own office in the back. We made that transition during December and it’s already proving valuable. I won’t be completely settled in until I build the extra shelving I have in mind for this room (basically I want to cover it in shelves), but I’m well on the way to making this space station fully operational.

2024 was not my greatest writing year, but it was a close second. I aim to beat that number handily this year.

Nevertheless, I chunked out nearly 425k this past year, counting the editing in the way I do. I didn’t actually edit as much this year, but I did put out more words than I have since I started tabulating in 2018 (227k). I had better years in 2016-2017, I believe, since I had two novels each of those years, but between 136k in The Feasting of Vengeance and 90k in paid words in gaming worlds, I’m pretty pleased.

The Feasting of Vengeance is the crown jewel, of course. It’s nearly a third of all my production during the year, it completes the Foresters trilogy subseries in the 4HU, and I’m really pleased how it turned out. It’s scheduled to be out on the 14th of February.

I edited and published an anthology (Paladins of Valor) and three novels (Responsibility of the Fleet, Reka’s Grasp, and Tugarin’s Revenge). I made up for less novels by chunking out 19 modules and magazines for GaxxWorx, a number that will go up in 2025 as we’re ramping up there.

I tried some things, notably the Riddle Patreon. I’m pleased with the riddles, but there didn’t seem to be much interest. I want to have a small revenue generation setup using either Patreon or Substack on the side to sort of fill in the cracks, and I’ll talk about my ideas for 2025 there to make that work.

I didn’t go to as many conventions as I have done in the past, mostly because I needed to focus on things here in Anthony. The store, of course, but also simply recovering from such a travel-filled 2023 where I put 45k miles on my car in part because of all the trips up and down during the move. I’ll do more events in 2025, which I’ll expand on next week.

For now, though, remember I’m the Toastmaster of ChattaCon 50. You want to be there. And you especially want to be there for opening ceremonies. Trust me.

Finally, the other big thing I did in 2024 was get involved in the Chamber of Commerce. I’m not the executive director of the Chamber, which means I’ll be running a number of events in 2025, including BalloonFest, which will happen May 10th. I’ll lay out the current plans next week as well.

Over the entirety of my time as a writer there’s always been something major changing my life. I moved 3 times, dealt with the pandemic, started businesses, had my workspace change often, and so on. By the end of 2024, I’m in a place where I think I’ll have a relatively stable foundation for a while.

I put out something like 75k of those words in 2024 in the last two months, and that’s a reflection of finally settling in, at least to a part. If I were to do 75k every 2 months, I’d end up with nearly a million words in a year. I doubt that’ll happen, but we’ll see 🙂

In any case, 2024 was a busy, productive, and eventful year. I’m glad you all were here on the ride with me. Let’s all have a great 2025.

What I’m Listening To

Where’s My Thing? Part IV of the Gangster of Boats Trilogy. It’s another of the great Rush instrumentals like YYZ, Malignant Narcissism, and Main Monkey Business. Basically, they’re opportunities for Rush to play around and do cool things.

Quote of the Week

Instead of a normal quote, I’ll just put this here which I saw on X.

2025 is clearly the year where it’s hip to be square.

2025
2025

 

 

Dragon’s Tidings

We’ll talk about our 2025 plans soon, so in the meantime, check our website (www.reddragonquilts.com)!

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Chernobog’s Wrath, the 3rd in H.Y. Gregor’s excellent Vechnoye Saga series. Get that here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0DRDYS78R.

Your pre-release this week is from Fred Hughes, as this week’s pre-release is Hero’s Shadow, the second book in his Heroes of Britannia series. Admiral Julie Adams has been tasked with ending the Teddy Bear problem, but it won’t be as simple as she—or anyone else—might like! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DRZ6WBB3.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 368.2lbs

Updated Word Count: 1,183

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Moving Pictures

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Week 49 of 2024

Greetings all

I spent most of this week moving! Well, moving my office from the front of the store to a room in the apartment on the main floor. It’s ideal for me, big enough for my desk, bookcases, my comfy chair, and a guest bed.

So yes, I was moving pictures. Did you think I wouldn’t make that reference?

I’m already nesting. It is much like the room I had in Olathe, with its own bathroom and a small kitchenette. Only difference is that it’s a bit bigger and is shaped in a more convenient way. It will also serve as the best jumping off point for events that I’ve ever had.

I’m really pleased.

It’s also already my lair, something I hadn’t realized I missed so much. I had a great setup up front, but it was never my lair.

Anyway, moving is never easy, but thanks to one of the guys whose been gaming here on Tuesday, we got the big stuff all moved on Sunday and at this point, I’m effectively fully operational. I still have some organizing to do, but to be honest, some of that organizing is from the original move here.

I have my SF/F magazines behind me and a good place to sit and read. I may very well start nibbling away at my To Be Read pile.

Obviously, I’m still enthused about sending The Feasting of Vengeance to Chris last week. As a reminder, it’s on the schedule for the 14th of February.

But of course, publish or perish, and I spent my time this week working on a fairly major project for Okkorim. I can’t wait to show off what we’re doing, and we’re gonna have it by GaryCon.

As we approach the end of the year, I’m doing my evaluation of what worked and what didn’t. I’m also figuring out some new things to add to my content. I’m a content creator, I need to create more content. Expect some announcements going forward.

I also spent this week getting ready for Kris Kinder. Hope to see some of you there.

But forget all that! We’re coming up on our first birthday party here at Red Dragon Quilts and Dragon’s Den Books! If you’re in the area, come by. We’ll have specials like buy one, get one used books, pizza, and some giveaways.

It’s a week from Saturday on the 21st! Come join us!

Birthday Party
Birthday Party

What I’m Listening To

Niners vs Rams in the new setup. It’s nice.

Quote of the Week

Mako’s birthday is December 10th. That’s close enough for me to use as a quote his opening to Conan the Barbarian. Yes, it’s one of my favorite films, and yes I love Mako in it.

Come to think of it, I can’t remember a single time I’ve seen Mako in a show or movie that he didn’t make it better.

“Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to bear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!”

– Akiro the Wizard in Conan the Barbarian

Dragon’s Tidings

Birthday Party, December 21st, Anthony, KS

Also, check our website (www.reddragonquilts.com)!

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Okkorim Sourcebook (2,974)

Upcoming Events

  • Kris Kinder, December 14, Kansas City, Mo
  • Red Dragon Anniversary Party, December 21, Anthony, KS
  • ChattaCon, January 17-19, Chattanooga, TN
    chattacon.org/
    I’m the Toastmaster!
  • FenCon, February 14-16, Dallas, TX
    fencon.org/
  • Gulf Wars, March 8-16, Lumberton, MS
    gulfwars.org/
  • GaryCon, March 20-23, Lake Geneva, WI
    garycon.com/
  • LibertyCon, June 20-22, Chattanooga, TN
    libertycon.org/
  • Pennsic War, July 25 – August 10, Slippery Rock, PA
    pennsicwar.org/

New Releases

This week we have The Darkness, the second book in William S. Frisbee, Jr.’s series, The Conglomerate Trilogy. Did you like the Last Marines? Then you’re going to love this series! Bad things lurk in the darkness, and they aren’t going to be content to stay there much longer. Luke is going to need a lot of help if he’s to keep the darkness at bay… so what is he going to do when Topa Suresh suddenly disappears? Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DPL2BDNR.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 364.8 lbs

Updated Word Count: 392,000

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 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