Another productive week in Rob world. The big success was getting the quilt store’s website live. It’s here: reddragonquilts.com/.
Then I did a bunch for our Grand Opening. Expect to see a number of posts on Facebook about the opening, but here’s the ad that’ll be in the Anthony Republican.
Oh, hey, there’s another new website! Chris Kennedy Publishing has its own shop. It’s got some things, but lots more to come. Check it out here: chriskennedypublishing.com/shop/.
On the writing front, I’ve been focusing on a short story due for a new Four Horsemen anthology. I’m getting close to having it done. I aim to have it finished by the end of next week.
Once I’m done with that, I’m turning my focus to The Feasting of Vengeance. I’m about a year behind on that project, like much of the other things in my life. However, I hope to turn it over in the spring.
I also finished a project in the world of Okkorim and sent that off. I’ve started the next phase on that, though only dabbling so far.
I mentioned a couple of weeks that I’m working on learning Facebook ads. I’m making progress, but it’s slow, in part because you have to try an ad or two, see the results, then adjust. Definitely a learning experience.
I’ve got another advertising thing coming, and it includes a Christmas present to all of you. More on that in a week or two.
Just know that I’m honored you guys read my updates and I’ll try and keep them informative and entertaining.
With that, I’m going to get more writing done.
What I’m Listening To
Seahawks against the Cowboys. Was there any doubt?
Happenings in Anthony
Walking back from trivia yesterday, we got a chance to see the downtown all lit up with Christmas lights. It’s not a huge display, but it’s cool. You should come visit.
Quote of the Week
Today is one of the hardest days of the year to find a quote. I mean, seriously, there are 365 days in the year. Why do 2 of the top 5 quote machines ever (Winston Churchill and Mark Twain) have to be born on this day?
So you get two quotes. Sorry, not sorry.
“Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”
– Mark Twain
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
– Winston Churchill
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.
Happy Black Friday! Sorry I didn’t get this done yesterday. After eating a great meal, watching the Cowboys, and snuggling with the grandbaby, I fell asleep before doing actual work.
We’ve been open for a week now, and it’s gone well. Some traffic, but most importantly, we’re already getting business using the longarm quilter. Apparently, the area has been without for a few years and we’d hoped we have a market. That seems to be the case.
We’re having our actual Grand Opening on Friday December15th. We’ll be open from 9am to 8pm with a variety of specials. We’ll have food catered by Kristy’s Kafe, the excellent pizza (and more) place a half block away.
As to writing, I’ve been focusing on publicity stuff all week, plus writing more for Luke Gygax’s Okkorim. Overall, I didn’t write a ton (about 4000 new words), but I caught up on store stuff and publicity.
And of course Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Thanks to you all, I get to work the career I should always have done, and I thank you all immensely.
Enjoy your leftovers. Also, feel free to come over and help us eat ours!
Have a great week.
What I’m Listening To
Gray Cell Green by Ned’s Atomic Dustpin. One of my favorite songs from that alternative era of the 90s. This song got played a bit on the radio, but not much and it’s too bad.
Happenings in Anthony
We lost at trivia! Thank goodness. If we’d have won a 4th time in a row, there might’ve been a riot. Ironically, we got all 8 of the Music questions, which is the category that bedevils us.
Tonight they’re lighting the lights and having a parade. Then the kids get to do Santa Claus at the hall. Maybe we take the grandbaby there, if she’s (or to be honest, we’re) up to it.
Quote of the Week
Happy birthday to Billy Connolly. What an interesting life he’s had, and he’s given me and so many others a lot of joy over over the years. So thanks to him, too.
Also born on this day are a host of interesting people like Oscar Robertson, Baruch Spinoza, Dwight Schultz, Spider Robinson, Scott Joplin, Forrest Ackerman, John Kovalic, Brad Sherwood, and a bunch more.
Life is supposed to be fun. It’s not a job or occupation. We’re here only once and we should have a bit of a laugh.
– Billy Connolly
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.
20 Books was great. I learned a ton and will be putting that into practice throughout 2024. I spent most of my focus on advertising and publicity, which I’ll touch on again in a moment.
It’s also a fantastic place to check in with a bunch of others in the industry. Of course, much of this was simply hanging out with friends I haven’t seen in far too long, but of course it’s also hanging out with people I’ve not met before.
However, I don’t like Vegas. It’s boring, contrived, uncomfortable, and expensive. It’s good to be home.
Store Ad 20231116
The next momentous thing is… well, rather than explain it, check out the ad we put in the Anthony Republican.
For those scoring at home, that’s tomorrow. Going to be a fun day.
But back to the publicity thing, which is the next momentous thing. It was my plan to use 2023 to work on publicity and growing both the New Mythology and Firehall Sagas fan base. Then, of course, we got the amazing opportunity in Anthony, so I never really had the chance to put as much effort into this as I wanted.
Frankly, I haven’t had enough time to re-edit and shepherd the new releases, set up the bookstore, learn new advertising skills, and get all of the other writing I’ve committed to complete according to deadlines.
Something had to give, and that something is the Firehall Sagas timeline. We’re going to hold off re-releasing the Irinasaga, the second series I’ve written in the Firehall Sagas. Since we completed the Edwardsaga, this is a great time for a break. Also, I’m aiming to do a 5th book in that series in late 2024.
Instead, I’m learning publicity. To start with, I’ll spend the next quarter learning Facebook ads and incorporating those into my daily routine. Then, in February or so, I’m going to try TikTok or YouTube. Also, with the help of Kacey Ezell, we’re building a New Mythology mailing list. Then, in the summer of 2024 or so, I will be rebuilding how I do my mailing list. More to come on that when it’s relevant.
By the way, if you see one of my ads on Facebook, a like or, even better, a love, will help those out.
Luke Gygax 1
Now, I mentioned other writing projects. First, I owe all the readers of the Foresters The Feasting of Vengeance, book 3 in my sub-series about the Queen Elizabeth’s Own. I wanted to have this out this summer, to follow 2019 for The Feeding of Sorrows and 2021 for The Ravening of Wolves. Obviously, that didn’t happen. It needs to get done in 2024.
Luke Gygax 2
However, here’s where we get to the really cool part.
That guy in the two pictures is Luke Gygax. That’s a familiar name to many of you, and yes, he’s one of Gary Gygax’s sons. For those who don’t recognize the name, Gary Gygax invented Dungeons & Dragons, which is honestly a major cornerstone in this whole career for me.
I have the incredible honor to join his team creating the World of Okkorim. I’ll be writing a variety of things in the world, and while I can’t talk much about what we’re doing, I can tell you we’re doing some cool things.
You can actually get started playing in this world with some modules he has available. Here’s one on Amazon, in fact, The Eye of Chentoufi. I’ve actually had the pleasure to play in this module, and our group had a great time. We played at 20Books last year, in fact, and it’s actually how I got involved in the project. You can get it here, by the way: amazon.com/dp/B0BWK8DS61.
Stay tuned for continuing releases.
And with that, I better get going. I have to get up early for opening day.
What I’m Listening To
Ravens v. Bengals. It was trending to be a great game, but then Joe Burrow got hurt and that’s going to make it difficult.
Happenings in Anthony
We may never get to go back to trivia. We’ve one the last 3 weeks in a row.
More importantly for the town, they put up a bunch of decorations this week. Also, they’ve got a number of fun things going on next week.
Quote of the Week
Today is the birthday of my favorite Dallas Cowboys player ever. It’s not Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Tony Dorsett, or any of the normal names. It’s actually Harvey Martin. Nicknamed “Too Mean,” to counterpoint “Too Tall” Jones on the other side of the defensive line. Had sacks been an official statistic during Martin’s career, he might very well be in the Hall of Fame.
Sadly, drugs and alcohol hit him hard after he retired and while he got clean later in life, he died far too soon at age 51 in 2001.
In any case, if you see me wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey with 79 on it, it’s him.
Mark Wandrey returns this week with more adventures in the 4HU and, in fact, with a novel about one of the Horsemen themselves. Mil SF at its most action-packed. Get Winged Hussars: Andromeda here: amazon.com/dp/B0CLL1XLJ2.
Today’s Weight: 361.1 (Did I mention I hate Vegas? I had salads a number of times and I tried to eat well, but it’s just impossible)
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.
The Texas Rangers won the World Series last night.
It’s still surreal. I’ll talk about it more down below, as there’s also a bunch of great book stuff this week.
First, a quick thing. Tomorrow, November 3rd, Chimera Coup is on sale! Check out book 1 of the Heirs of Cataclysm series for only $2.99. Deal good only for tomorrow. Go here to get your deal: amazon.com/dp/B0BFLV4TH8.
Farewell, My Ugly
Farewell, My Ugly is out on Tuesday! This is the first completely new Edward novel in several years, but it won’t be that long to the next one.
He’s clashed with Pherenike of the Imperial Guard before, but now she comes to him, hat in hand, to solve a problem that has bedeviled her. Edward uncovers the greatest plot he’s found yet, one that will shake the Empire of Makhaira to its core. Can he save the people of Achrida, friend and foe alike?
On Tuesday, you’ll find out.
Next in the Firehall Sagas is a bit of a shift. The Ruriksaga is a collection of previously published short stories and a bunch of appendix material. There’s also a brand new story detailing the time when Ragnar and Zoe met.
They weren’t always innkeepers, after all.
In January, we’ll switch to epic fantasy in the Firehall Sagas, with a five book series to complete in June. These center around Irina Ivanovna, former Great Mother of Periaslavl.
We’re in November, and that means the open call for the next Valor anthology is coming to a close. These have to be in by November 30th.
November also means 20Books Vegas. If you’re there, say “Hi!” I probably won’t do a full update next week, by the way. Instead, I’ll probably send out a message with all the release details of Farewell, My Ugly and maybe a comment or two.
Red Dragon Quilts
We have news about the stores! We’re having a soft opening on Wednesday, November 15th, and then planning on a Grand Opening/Holiday Party on Saturday, December 16th, after we get the bugs worked out.
Dragon’s Den Books
Check out our cool new logos, thanks to the amazing Cedar Sanderson. Red Dragon Quilts and Dragon’s Den Books.
I hope you all come in some day and check out what we’re doing. We had the Harper Counter EcoDev lady come in today, and she’s excited about what we’re doing.
As are we.
And, hey, the Texas Rangers won the World Series. Did I mention that?
Some of you reading this were there on that awful night in 2011 when we were 1 strike away from winning the World Series against the Cardinals. I watched that game in St. Louis at McGurk’s.
It was awful for me, great for you. That was Game 6 of that series, and if you ever hear me say “Game 6,” it’s that game, no other Game 6 that has ever happened.
It was a tough night, and while we went to the series the year after, that series was never as close. Then came some down, wretched years. The Rangers lost more than 100 games 2 years ago.
I had no expectations of this year’s team. There were so many questions marks. How much would injuries bite the pitching staff? Would the offense gel? How good was Josh Jung? Could Adolis Garcia take a step up? Could all these free agents contribute? And so on.
The strange thing is that a bunch of those things went badly. Injuries hammered this team, and they went through some awful stretches. At the beginning of the year, they were really hot and many, including me, expected some regression.
That regression happened, but it turned out it wasn’t all luck. They finished with a run differential of 162, meaning they scored that many more runs than they allowed through the year. That’s a huge indicator of a team doing well, and their Pythagorean W/L record was 96-66, which shows they were unlucky to finish only 90-72.
By the way, the only AL team with a better PythW/L and run differential was Tampa Bay, so I did not want to face them in playoffs. Until, of course, we swept them. Things continued against Baltimore, which was exciting.
Then the @#$(&&**ing Astros. That used to be my NL team, and I rooted for them for years, yet this group is so unlikable. But they’re really good. Yordan Alvarez nigh unto won the ALCS by himself, until Adolis Garcia decided he’d do that.
And then the World Series. I knew I wasn’t going to believe we won until that final out happened. I guess I still don’t really think it’s happened, and I’ve checked throughout the day, just to make sure. 50 years of frustration and awful baseball, and Game 6, will do that to a fan.
But when Marcus Semien hit that homer in the 9th to put us up 5-0, that’s when I started to think it might happen.
I’m sorta surprised I didn’t break my desk pounding on it after that.
The Rangers’ slogan through the playoffs was #GoAndTakeIt. Well, they #WentAndTookIt.
Wow.
What I’m Listening To
Midsomer Murders, with the guy who plays Father Brown as a guest star.
Happenings in Anthony
We won at trivia again! The Music category was kind to us.
They did it up well for all the kids on Halloween. There was trick-or-treating along Main Street and then a costume contest.
Quote of the Week
Eric Nadel has called Rangers games on TV and radio since 1979. Here’s his call at the end of the game.
“Sborz kicks and fires. He struck him out looking! It’s over! It’s over! The Rangers have won the World Series!
Ranger fans, you’re not dreaming!”
– Eric Nadel
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, a quick thing. Tomorrow, November 3rd, Chimera Coup by Christopher G. Nuttall is on sale! Check out book 1 of the Heirs of Cataclysm series for only $2.99. Deal good only for tomorrow. Go here to get your deal: amazon.com/dp/B0BFLV4TH8.
It’s time for more Salvage Title adventures! This week’s release is Salvage Search from David Alan Jones, which you can get here: amazon.com/dp/B0CLR91ZWF.
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.
Most falls, I get a cold. It knocks me back for a bit. This week was the week for that. I got almost no writing done, though I did get a number of side projects done, including some work on my website. I’ve been adding some things in preparation for the release of Farewell, My Ugly, which comes out on November 7th.
Farewell, My Ugly
Did I mention Farewell, My Ugly comes out on November 7th? In that case, it’s time for a cover reveal. Check this out, again from J. Caleb Designs. It’s brilliant, as usual.
I spent this week trying to write on a number of projects. I got some words written here and there, but not much. I’m finally on the other side, though, so this will be a great week.
I did manage to get a bunch of books priced and organized. The store is taking shape. Next week, I’ll have more pictures. We’re only about 3 weeks from opening day.
Exciting times!
Also exciting is for the third time ever, the Texas Rangers advanced to the World Series. The first major league sporting event I ever attended was a Rangers game back in 1974 or so. The stadium was wretched, but I loved it and ran around in all sorts of places I shouldn’t have.
I still recall the names of Toby Harrah (who would’ve been a huge player in today’s time with his excellent walk rate), Jeff Burroughs, Fergie Jenkins, Charlie Hough, and even Lenny Randle and Frank Lucchesi. They weren’t good teams, but they’ve been my team since I had a team.
So, to coin a phrase, #GoAndTakeIt.
With that, I’m going to cut this short. I’ve got bunches of stuff to catch up on, and I’ll get a bit more written tonight. Have a great week.
What I’m Listening To
No football so far tonight. Spending time with the wife and mom-in-law watching older Midsomer Murders. Man, I wonder what the homicide per 100,000 rate is there. Is it worse or better than Cabot Cove?
Happenings in Anthony
Not much to report, as I was in the house all week.
Quote of the Week
Happy OK Corral Day!!! Which of course makes me think of Tombstone, and that makes this week’s quote obvious.
“I’m your huckleberry.”
– Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.
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.
Updated Word Count: Accounting mostly done. Well over 300k. Exact count net week.
Firehall Sagas Archives: 749 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.
Sigh. A good chunk of my writing buddies are in North Carolina today having fun at FactoryCon. With the move and setting up the stores, it wasn’t in the cards this year. Frankly, I haven’t seen them since LibertyCon, and that’s far too long. I’ll get to see a goodly number at 20Books Vegas, and that will be wonderful, but that’s several weeks away.
I’ve still been enjoying the release of Where Now the Rider. Reviews are excellent. Frankly reviews of the whole Firehall Sagas series have been great, and I appreciate it. Get all 3 books here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKWZKYQ.
This has been a week of various projects. We buy half a cow each year from friends in Iowa. That’s now a two-day trip, so all I could do is some bediting for work. Also this week was Anthony Fall Fest. Makes it hard to make a lot of progress.
However, I did get a few words written along with a bunch of editing on the Ruriksaga. This has been rough sledding, in part because of fatigue, but it’s getting there. Also this week, I started editing I Am a Wondrous Thing.
I got feedback on my sooper-sekrit project and it was very positive. I’ll talk about it when I can, but they really liked the first part.
We also made a bunch of progress on the building. We’re setting November 15th as a tentative opening date. There’ll still be a bunch to do to improve things, but we’ll have stock, working POS systems, and our store areas are looking great.
All in all, it’s one of those weeks where I probably got a lot done, but it didn’t feel like it. Combine that with a long period without a break, and missing my friends, I’ve been a bit down.
But next week will be good. We’ll finish the apartment and that’s a huge load off my brain. I’ll start putting in inventory, ,which will make the shop much more real, and we’ll have the Man Cave going.
But for now, you guys have fun at FactoryCon!
What I’m Listening To
A pretty bland game between the Saints and the Jaguars. I should probably be watching Texas play Houston, but I get so stressed, I decided to let it go for a while. Plus, my superstition is big time games go better if I don’t watch them. It’s not true of course, but sometimes it’s what I do.
Happenings in Anthony
We’ve settled on Nobody of Consequence for our trivia team name. We really need people who know movies and music, because those two categories kill us. We do great on the other ones, but it’s tough when you’re dropping 20% of the possible points off the top.
This week is the town clean up. I’ll be dropping off chairs and some other stuff to clear up the place.
Quote of the Week
Happy birthdays to L.E. Modesitt, Jr. and John le Carré. Heck of a lot of great stories come from this day.
Anyway, here’s a quote from le Carré about how writers and spies are alike.
A spy, like a writer, lives outside the mainstream population. He steals his experience through bribes and reconstructs it.
– John le Carré
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.
New author alert! Final Assembly by Dennis M. Myers, the first book in his Rise of the Automated Empire 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.
Updated Word Count: Still need to do an accounting
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.
My goodness, what a week! Around 7,000 new words in a number of projects, plus so much else going on.
I got some great feedback on Where Now the Rider. Check out this review: “I shouldn’t have started this book at 2230. I should have known better. I do know better. All three of these have done violence to my sleep, and I did it willingly. I look forward to another.”– Greg Gagnon, KU Reader.
The first story I ever wrote was in 1997 and it was done only to fill a quire in the program for Neocon 8. It was, at the time, wretched and required a goodly amount of hubris to put it there.
Still, it filled the quire almost exactly and now that it’s been edited after all this experience, I’m quite pleased with it. Thanks to Nick Steverson and Marisa Wolf for including it in Thirteen Stories of Horror, which comes out tomorrow!
Stay tuned tomorrow for both the release link and details of a fun podcast with a bunch of the authors on Saturday evening at 7pm Central.
I’ll be there for part of it, but I’m going to be pretty busy on Saturday. It’s Anthony’s Fall Fest and I’ll have a booth in front of Pack N’Flavor restaurant. Come get books from me and some of the great cookies they sell there.
We made huge progress on our personal library this week, which is basically a long hallway extending from my den, which is behind my desk in the bookstore. I also got a big step up on the bookstore layout, plus put up new lights in the store. I’m making progress actually putting books on shelves. The vast majority of them are in stacks of their categories. Next week will bring a bunch of labels, more organization, and my checkout counter.
Oh, and stay tuned for cool new logos coming next week.
We’re starting to get a whole bunch of things in their actual place!
Oh, and we have a new assistant.
Bella
What I’m Listening To
The Chiefs beating up on Denver. Man, the Broncos simply aren’t a good offense. I don’t know what their overall problem is, as I don’t really study them, but they’re just not good.
Happenings in Anthony
Fall Fest 2023
Anthony Fall Fest! Click the thumbnail for the larger image.
Well, Team Nobody of Consequence didn’t, quite, defend their title at trivia last night. We were just too far behind after the music and entertainment categories. However, we almost made a miracle comeback, running the entire last category and getting a full 16 points. Lost by 2, 37 to 35. We’ll get ’em next week.
Quote of the Week
On this day, in 322, Demosthenes died. Demosthenes was one of the world’s greatest orators. I don’t have time here to give more than a quote, be he’s well worth looking into.
And, of course, you can read Jack McDevitt’s excellent A Talent for War to get a perspective on Demosthenes.
In any case, this is perhaps the most true quote I’ve ever posted, and something we all have to work against.
Nothing is easier than self-deceit.
– Demosthenes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 BeforeMultipurpose 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 1Quilt 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 FrontBolts 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 RowLoom 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.
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.
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.
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.
