Rob’s Update: My Achilles Heel

Week 37 of 2024

Greetings all

This week my Achilles heel has been my Achilles heel. I strained it at some point last week and it’s been a painful nuisance. I can’t really walk well, and it’s hindered sleep. Yes, I’m doing things about it. No, I’m not ignoring it.

But it has taken time away. Much of that were things around the house, and I had held from the family to cover much of that. It’s nice to have help.

That being said, I did get quite a few words written. I’m solidly over 50k on The Feasting of Vengeance having about finished the secondary thread. That’s about 6-7k this week, on top of several thousand written in other projects and some editing. Ideally, I put out about 10k per week of new words, and I did that this week.

Responsibility of the Fleet
Responsibility of the Fleet

Of course, the big thing is the release of Responsibility of the Fleet by G. Scott Huggins, third in his Endless Ocean series, a week from tomorrow on September 13th.

I also dealt with a goodly number of small things around the store that have needed work.

It’s frustrating, actually. I had a good week, but I think it would’ve been a great week if it’d been mostly pain free.

However, things could be worse. I’m going to end this week on a down note. I just learned that Howard Andrew Jones, who writes the Hanuvar swords and sorcery series, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

I hadn’t gotten to know him well, but I had enjoyed the times we’d spent together at cons and anticipated more excellent chats in the future. He’s a very smart man, not to mention nice, and we’ll be far worse without him.

I guess what all this means is today is a good day to do something nice for someone because maybe tomorrow you won’t have the chance.

What I’m Listening To

Three Days by Jane’s Addiction. This is literally in my top 10 songs ever. I remember getting the album Ritual de lo Habitual used thinking I might as well check this group out, then getting blown away by 5 of the first 6 songs (this was number 6, by the way). Number 5 was the one song I didn’t care for as much, and ironically it was the one they played all the time (Been Caught Stealing).

Quote of the Week

On this day in 1960, Cassius Clay won the light heavyweight gold in the Olympics. Of course, he later changes his name to Muhammad Ali and becomes one of the great stars of the 20th century.

Here’s a quote we all need to remember sometimes.

“You don’t lose if you get knocked down; you lose if you stay down.”
– Muhammad Ali

Rob’s Riddles

Like challenges? Think you’re smarter than me? Then see if you can answer my riddles!

You can find them by signing up for my Patreon here: patreon.com/rhodri2112. Not sure what I mean? Then check the sample riddle and see if you get the answer!

First Line of Current Riddle:

I show arms and the man Making merry most times

New Mythology Works in Progress

Responsibility of the Fleet is out a week from tomorrow!

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (52,799)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have War Criminal, the 11th book in P.A. Piatt’s Abner Fortis, ISMC, series. For those who’ve been following the series (and if you haven’t, why not?), you can pretty much guess that good ol’ Abner will be up to his armpits in trouble as he and Jocko Bender go into the Free Sector to track down two of the war criminals behind the peace rally attack. Remember the world-killer bomb that disappeared? It’s back, too, and fully in play. Will Abner be able to recover it before it goes “boom?” You probably just answered that question wrong… but you’ll have to grab it to find out! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0DFFPZCFX.

Your pre-release this week is Shadow Wired, the first book in the Shadow Wired series by Gustavo Bondoni. It’s time for some awesome cyberpunk action… right now!

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 357.4lbs

Updated Word Count: 207,000

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

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