Tag Archives: Aaron Rosenberg

Rob’s Update: Souls are Seen

Week 1 of 2023

Greetings all

I hope your new year has started off well. Mine has, in general, started off really well. I’m excited about all the projects I’ve got going on, especially my new Riddle Patreon.

I really enjoy writing riddles, and have for something like 25 years now. I actually wrote one yesterday, which comes out on the 23rd of January, just sort of sitting around.

The structure on this one was fun. I suspect it’ll be one of the easier riddles I write, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

My current plan is to post something every Monday. The 2nd and 4th Mondays will have new riddles, and those will generate revenue. The other Mondays will be snippets of works in progress. I started with the first chapter of Farewell, My Ugly this week, and will go at least the opening six chapters and probably more until I switch to The Feasting of Vengeance. At least, that’s the plan, until you all suggest a better one.

I made huge progress on Bonds of Valor this week. I’ve been a bit behind on this as I’ve been catching up on a bunch of stuff, but my edits are going out. This will come out at FantaSci on March 24th.

Speaking of which, I think it’s time to announce the list of authors, and it’s one of the best lists we’ve had.

You know the winners of the contest already:

  • Justin Doyle
  • B. A. Ironwood
  • Casey Moores
  • Fiona Grey

They’ll be joined by:

  • Philippa Anastos
  • D.J. Butler
  • Glen Cook
  • Sarah Hoyt
  • Todd McCaffrey
  • Jody Lynn Nye
  • Jon R. Osborne
  • Aaron Rosenberg
  • Benjamin Tyler Smith
  • Kevin Steverson

What a list. I’m honored by all these amazing authors. Besides, who doesn’t want more Black Company, Necrolopolis, and Indrajit and Fix stories?

I also spent the week finishing A Lake Most Deep. It goes out tomorrow to a couple of alpha readers. I’ll start on The Eyes of a Doll this weekend.

And with that, it’s off to edit another story. Have a great week.

What I’m Listening To

Saturday is the anniversary of Neil’s death. Rush on repeat for the next few weeks.

Quote of the Week

Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.

Marcus Aurelius

We had a moment on Monday where death might have smiled on national TV. Damar Hamlin, a player for the Buffalo Bills, suffered cardiac arrest on the field. Great news today as Damar asked “Did we win?” He’s not out of the woods, but credit to all involved (except Roger Goodell, but I don’t have time to get into *that* rant).

The Riddles!

I have a new 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:

In me souls are seen        And once were stolen

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of Farewell, My Ugly

New Mythology Works in Progress

2023 FantaSci Short Story Contest open call.

The theme is Bonds of Valor, and you story must include deeds of valor centered around bonds between characters. This could be a romantic relationship, a buddy adventure, oaths to kings, or whatever you can come up with.

Deadline: November 30th, 2022
Word Count: 7-10,000 words
Specifics: Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1.5 line spaced.

Current Schedule of New Mythology Press

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (58,812)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

Out this week is Crucible of the Gods by D.T. Read. This is book 3 in The Seventh Shaman MilSF series. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0BR6ZC8TB.

Your pre-release this week is Prince: War Leader by Fred Hughes. This is the third is his action-packed Prince of Britannia series. Get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRMRHX97.

So last week, I screwed up and muddled a couple of titles and authors. I should have said, get Casey Moores’ The Guilted Cage, a new Fallen World novel, here: amazon.com/dp/B0BQRQYL86.

I mixed it up with the latest 4HU novel, To Have and to Hold, by Zane Voss, which you can get here: amazon.com/dp/B0BQ232HPN.

Ah, well.

Oh, and since I’m tossing out links, here’s Pandora’s Box, 2nd in Christopher G. Nuttall’s Heirs of Cataclysm series. It’s here: amazon.com/dp/B0BNPQ61DX.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 334.2

Updated Word Count: 1,213

Firehall Sagas Archives: 740 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

Rob’s Update: The Door Is Opening

Week 16 of 2022

Greetings all

It’s always exciting when I finish a big editing pass on a novel. The Door Into Winter went off to the editor and will come out on the 10th of May.

For those who thought I said the 9th, I did, but only because I apparently can’t read a calendar. The 9th is a Monday, and we do our releases on Tuesday. One day I’ll learn how these calendar thingamajigs work.

Anyway, I love how The Door Into Winter. I always go into that big edit knowing I’ve got some weak spots, places where the narrative isn’t as strong as it needs to be. But that’s why I do this particular pass, and it’s a terrific story.

I love stories of heroes doing heroic things, so that’s what I always write, and this has all that.

Also, of course, we’re still celebrating Aaron Rosenberg’s amazing story of skullduggery and mayhem, Deadly Fortune. Thanks to all of you who supported the release.

This week, I’ve turned my attention to Embers & Ash, by Marie Whittaker. This has more of a gothic fantasy feel. It’s a about a princess coming of age to ascend to a cursed throne. Fun stuff.

I also started on a new project that I can’t talk about just yet, but I’m loving it so far. More of a mil-fantasy thing.

Tonight, I’m headed off for a small trip with the sweetie to see the stepdaughter. Most importantly, she and her fiance are now in a place to take their kitty back, so it’ll be a meow-filled ride.

With that, I better get moving.

What I’m Listening To

Chop Suey by System of a Down. Such a great song to jam to.

Quote of the Week

Here’s a teaser quote from The Door Into Winter. Something I’ve always wanted in Shijuren were dwarves, my favorite of the standard D&D/Tolkien-style races. We’re calling them Delvers, or in Svellheim, the Dvergr.

Here’s something from a pair of new characters:

Sakhroa took a deep breath. “We mine in uncertain stone. I cannot but continue to dig, yet without bolstering it will collapse and slay us all.”

“Should this vein prove fruitful, I shall bring you that bolstering.” Karreka bowed slightly. “The path inside is fraught with peril.”

“The path outside is treacherous,” replied Sakhroa.

“Only in paths conjoined can we preserve our kin,” they said in unison.
The Door Into Winter

PS: I also added undead, which I absolutely love as bad guys.

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
bleav.com/shows/the-dudes-in-hyperspace-podcast/

The latest show includes stuff on the Masters, which didn’t turn out nearly as dramatic as they often do. .

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

The Door Into Winter by me is coming May 10th!

Currently available:

New Mythology Works in Progress

2023 FantaSci Short Story Contest open call.

The theme is Bonds of Valor, and you story must include deeds of valor centered around bonds between characters. This could be a romantic relationship, a buddy adventure, oaths to kings, or whatever you can come up with.

Deadline: November 30th, 2022
Word Count: 7-10,000 words
Specifics: Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1.5 line spaced.

I’m currently working on Embers & Ash and something new, The Chimera Coup.

Giveaways
Free Books of All Genres for April
Free Books of All Genres for April

Free Books of All Genres for April

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/9ce792e6-a064-11ec-8156-034d0f9bf4b0

Free Book SF & F
Free Book SF & F

Free Book SF & F

books.bookfunnel.com/sffmegapromo/kafblovzsx

No Fooling April Giveaway
No Fooling April Giveaway

 

No Fooling April Giveaway

books.bookfunnel.com/rtb-aprilgiveaway/nep8fizkq1

The Music
The Music

And another book swap with Jessica Lewis. This time it’s her story The Music. Get it here: storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/7b679af6-08f9-11ec-a5c7-9f431ddfa2ec?swapId=817f5c40-a4c0-11ec-a182-7f20841f5e9a

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • VAL (571)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

This week we have Elaninae, the second in Jo Boone’s Combined Service series. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09X9KCSZS.

And of course, we’re still celebrating Aaron Rosenberg’s Deadly Fortune. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09X3Q44FR.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 320.6

Updated Word Count: 135,836

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: Rock Chalk

Week 15 of 2022

Greetings all

Deadly Fortune
Deadly Fortune

Wow! Another great week highlighted by the release of Deadly Fortune, Aaron Rosenberg’s first Eldros Legacy novel.

This is a swashbuckling tale of pirates, murder, hidden secrets, and mystery. It’s set in the Areyat Islands, a corner of Shijuren that Aaron claimed for his own. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09X3Q44FR.

But that’s not all!  We’re almost to the final stretch on The Door Into Winter. I spent the week doing my developmental edit pass. Tomorrow, I’ll receive the other devedit pass, this one by Leslie Bridgwater, and by Sunday, I’ll have all that inputted and sent to the copyeditor.

It comes out in a month and I’m so excited! Let me just say I cried at the end in the places I wanted people to cry.

Because of my focus on The Door Into Winter, I didn’t do a whole heck of a lot else except try and clear through a backlog of small projects.

I didn’t do a whole lot more this week except clear out a few small projects that have backed up here and there.

This means two things. One, the people on my mailing list will get another free story.

Two, Under a Midnight Clear, last year’s Nick Patara, PI freebie story for my mailing list, is now available for everyone in e-book only format on Amazon. You can get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B09X6L8DJ8/.

By the way, those of you on my mailing list who’ve already read Under a Midnight Clear, I’d love it if you gave it or the first book in that series, Silent Knight, a review. Well, truth be told, we live on reviews so I always appreciate reviews, no matter which book.

Oh, yeah. One other thing. I certainly didn’t graduate from the University of Kansas, but I had a very fun year living on that campus and attending basketball games with far more consistency than attending classes.

That was not an easy game to watch, at least not for my blood pressure, but…

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK, KU!

Ahem. Anyway, this championship will provide an extra treat at FantaSci 2023.

Tonight, I’m going to relax before a hard, but exciting weekend of editing!

What I’m Listening To

It’s a Sabaton kind of day, and right now it’s The Art of War, which is a fantastic album interspersing Sun Tzu quotes throughout. I love it.

Quote of the Week

KU has had 8 men’s basketball coaches. One of them has a losing record at the school. That would be James Naismith.

We’ll give him a pass, though, since he invented the game of basketball.

I am sure that no man can derive more pleasure from money or power than I do from seeing a pair of basketball goals in some out of the way place.
– James Naismith

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
bleav.com/shows/the-dudes-in-hyperspace-podcast/

The latest show includes an interview with Cam Rogers, a Bleav Network golf expert about the masters. .

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

The Door Into Winter by me is coming soon!

Currently available:

New Mythology Works in Progress

2023 FantaSci Short Story Contest open call.

The theme is Bonds of Valor, and you story must include deeds of valor centered around bonds between characters. This could be a romantic relationship, a buddy adventure, oaths to kings, or whatever you can come up with.

Deadline: November 30th, 2022
Word Count: 7-10,000 words
Specifics: Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1.5 line spaced.

I’m currently working on The Door Into Winter, my next novel.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

Deadly Fortune by Aaron Rosenberg, the third book in the Eldros Legacy. It’s a fun swashbuckling yarn of pirates, murder, and intrigue. Get it here: www.amazon.com/dp/B09X3Q44FR.

Under a Midnight Clear, the second of my Nick Patara, PI short stories is live. This year’s case leads Saint Nick to Diamond Dave’s strip club. Get it here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X6L8DJ8/.

And over on the SF side of things. P.A. Piatt just released his 5th! Abner Fortis ISMC book, Diplomacy. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09WTG77S7.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 320.2

Updated Word Count: 134,245

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: A Huge Week

Week 14 of 2022

Greetings all

So much to talk about this week!

First, I had a great time at FantaSci. Here’s the full FantaSci AAR: robhowell.org/blog/?p=2653.

Keen Edge of Valor
Keen Edge of Valor

While there, we released Keen Edge of Valor. Thanks to all who supported the release and participated in its creation. It’s a great anthology and I’m proud of what we’ve done. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09W91TP24/.

I also got to make two announcements. First, the finalists for the FantaSci Short Story contest were C.M. DeMott, Nathan Balyeat, Jonathan Miller, and Chris Hepler. Chris Hepler, with his story “The Torturer of Camelot,” was this year’s winner. Here’s an interview with our winner: robhowell.org/blog/?p=2645.

Secondly, I announced the theme for next year’s Short Story Contest. 2023 will be Bonds of Valor, and you story must include deeds of valor centered around bonds between characters. This could be a romantic relationship, a buddy adventure, oaths to kings, or whatever you can come up with. Specifics on the submission guidelines are below in the New Mythology section.

Deadly Fortune
Deadly Fortune

And now we’re five days away from our next release, Deadly Fortune, by Aaron Rosenberg. This is the next Eldros Legacy novel. It’s a swashbuckling take of pirates, murder, and intrigue and a lot of fun.

Then there was Tuesday night, where I did a fun interview with Cursed Dragon Ship on Twitch.tv. You can find it here: twitch.tv/curseddragonship. Many thanks to Kelly Colby for hosting me. I had a great time.

Now for the fun vaguebook part. My sweetie went on a trip last night and there might be some cool fun changes to our life coming out of it.

What a week.

What I’m Listening To

The Eagle Against the Sun, a War in the Pacific documentary. I’m in a WW2 mood today for some reason, and it’s been exactly what I wanted.

Quote of the Week

A brilliant quote from Gordie Howe today.

“All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”
– Gordie Howe

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
bleav.com/shows/the-dudes-in-hyperspace-podcast/

The latest show includes a review of Batman and some great podmail questions.

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

Deadly Fortune by Aaron Rosenberg is coming next Tuesday! It’s a fun swashbuckling tale of pirates, murder, and intrigue.

Currently available:

New Mythology Works in Progress

2023 FantaSci Short Story Contest open call.

The theme is Bonds of Valor, and you story must include deeds of valor centered around bonds between characters. This could be a romantic relationship, a buddy adventure, oaths to kings, or whatever you can come up with.

Deadline: November 30th, 2022
Word Count: 7-10,000 words
Specifics: Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1.5 line spaced.

I’m currently working on The Door Into Winter, my next novel.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

So much going on in CKP at FantaSci. First, let’s go with Titans Rising, which is a book on the business of writing genre fiction in the 21st century. It includes stuff by Chris Kennedy, Kevin J. Anderson, Toni Weisskopf, and a bunch of other big names. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09W8SV9QY.

Then we have Redacted Weapon, a new Four Horsemen Universe novel by Kevin Ikenson and Kevin Steverberry… errr… I mean, Kevin Ikenberry and Kevin Steverson. By the Kevins! That’s it, that’s what we’ll go with. Anyway, it’s another story about the Peacemakers and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09W8LYXNJ.

And finally, there’s Keen Edge of Valor, the third anthology in the Libri Valoris, the Books of Valor. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09W91TP24/.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 326.3

Updated Word Count: 129,772

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: Happy St. Paddy’s

Week 12 of 2022

Greetings all

Editor’s Note: Hey, look, I finally changed the year to 2022! Go me! And thanks to all of you who pointed that out last week. I do appreciate it. Clearly I need all the help I can get.

I hope everyone is having fun wearing the green (or the orange as the case may be). May the road rise up to meet you and also all the other fun Irish blessings upon you on this day.

The Irish are also really good at curses. Check out the lyrics of Nell Flaherty’s Drake, which is a Irish traditional song here: bellsirishlyrics.com/nell-flahertys-drake.html. The fun part of that song is that it’s supposed to refer to Robert Emmet, and the curses in that song could be sung in different order to form a code. Of course, like I say, they’re just brilliant fun.

“That the eel and the trout they may dine on the snout
Of the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake!”

Fun that is, unless the eel and trout are biting on your snout.

A good week of work here. Making real progress with The Door Into Winter. I’m at that stage where every writing session is productive because I’m on the downhill part. I did a bunch of bediting the past couple of days, too, and it’s amazing how much that finds.

Also did two more interviews of authors in Keen Edge of Valor:
D.J. Butler: robhowell.org/blog/?p=2021
Mark Wandrey: robhowell.org/blog/?p=1542

Deadly Fortune went off to our Advance Reader Team this week. If you’re on the team and didn’t receive it, let me know. If you want to be on future advance teams, send me an email.

I also made big progress with A Sundered Throne. This is a new series by Philippa Werner, who’s an amazing writer. You’re going to love this.

What I’m Listening To

Car tire informercials. It’s efficient to work while waiting for an oil change, but it sure lacks of certain amenities.

Quote of the Week

The interwebz tell me that St. Patrick said this, so it must be true, right? Well, even if he didn’t, this is good advice.

“Never trust a dog to watch your food.”
– St. Patrick

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
bleav.com/shows/the-dudes-in-hyperspace-podcast/

The latest show includes a interview with Joe DeLeone, especially focusing on spring football.

Stay tuned this weekend for another episode.

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

Deadly Fortune by Aaron Rosenberg is coming on the 5th of April

Currently available:

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 entries

New Mythology Works in Progress

We have no current open anthology calls but will have a new one announced at FantaSci.

I’m currently working on A Sundered Throne by Philippa Werner, with a number of other projects about to get going.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • The Door Into Winter (96,541)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • FMU (721)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

This week we have Season of the Wolf, Book 6! of the Lunar Free State series by John Siers. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09V47ZGG1.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 322.6

Updated Word Count: 24,717

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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: Where’s All The Oxygen?

Week 7 of 2021

Greetings all

I’m at Superstars this week and learning a ton. I mean, when I can breathe at 6000 feet of course. Yeeesh. And you know, a bit of humidity never killed anyone either.

But I am learning a ton, as I said. I took a great class on pacing from Jonathan Maberry and another from James Artimis Owens about cover art.

I spent a goodly amount of today trying out a technique from Maberry to speed up the pace of my writing in The Door Into Winter. I am much happier with my opening chapters as I think they really pop.

The best part of conventions, of course, is getting to hang out and chat with writers you’ve looked up to, new writers who are looking to get started, and every other type of writer in between. The sessions here have been great, but the random chats are always where a bunch of actual work gets done.

No Game For Knights
No Game For Knights

The big news this week is the cover reveal for No Game For Knights. I’m beyond ecstatic to have an Edward story in this anthology, which is a collection of noir SF/F PI stories. As you can see, I’m honored to be included in this anthology with some of the biggest names in the business. Many thanks to Kacey Ezell and Larry Correia for selecting me.

Side note, I can’t wait to finish The Door Into Winter so I can write the next Edward novel.

I made some progress on The Door Into Winter this week, when not prepping for travel. Mostly, it’s been edits to get me back into the flow, but a bunch of new ideas are already cropping up.

I also started a new short story based for the Hit World universe by Bill Webb. I may have mentioned it last week, but I’ve been able to really get some cool stuff going this week with conversations with Marisa Wolf, the anthology editor.

What a great week, and now I’m getting back to writing.

What I’m Listening To

I’m listening to Todd Fahnestock chomping on snacks left over from the Eldros Legacy party last night and pounding away at the sequel to Khyven the Unkillable. There are worse things.

Quote of the Week

The perfect quote for Superstars Seminar, from William Allen White, whose birthday is today.

“Dip your pen into your arteries and write.”
– William Allen White

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
https://www.sharkflight.com/dudes/

The latest show includes a great discussion of our writing process.

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

Deadly Fortune by Aaron Rosenberg is coming soon!

Currently available:

New Mythology Works in Progress

We have no current open anthology calls but will have a new one announced at FantaSci.

I’m currently working on Keen Edge of Valor, which will be released at FantaSci.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • The Door Into Winter 74,841)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • VAL (1,052)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

This week is another book by the amazing J.P. Chandler, Revenant. It’s another installment is this Fallen World and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09RPC1F5F.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 317.0

Updated Word Count: 5,066

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: Becoming a Superstar

Week 6 of 2021

Greetings all

Monday I head to Colorado Springs to go to my first Superstars Writing Seminar. Going to be a chance for me to level up, I think. The teachers include such names as Jim Butcher, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, Jody Lynn Nye, and the one, the only, Chris Kennedy.

For those paying attention to the Eldros Legacy, I’m the only one of the Founders, including Mia Kleve, our primary editor, who hasn’t been part of the program there, and I rectify that this year. We’ve got a talented group.

Speaking of talent, we’re getting close to setting a firm release date for Deadly Fortune, the next Eldros Legacy novel, this one by Aaron Rosenberg. This is set in Shijuren and it’s go pirates, treachery, swordfights, and murder. What more could a reader want?

If you haven’t read Aaron, you’re in for a treat. He’s a prolific writer with a ton of shared universe credits to his name, including Stargate, Star Trek, and Warhammer 40K. Yeah, he’s a rock star and we’re ecstatic to have him.

Tonight we record our next Dudes in Hyperspace podcast. This one will focus on our writing process.

By the way, we have some very exciting news about Dudes in Hyperspace. Details on this next podcast, which should be available in the next few days. Thanks to all who listen to us, because without you we don’t get to do this big reveal.

I’ve gotten back into the groove a bit with The Door Into Winter. Getting sick and needing to get both Deadly Fortune and Keen Edge of Valor out the door took me away from writing, but I had a good day yesterday. Since it had been a bit, I went in an edited chunks to remember exactly what I was doing.

I also started a new short story this week for Marisa Wolf. This one is set in Bill Webb’s Hit World series, which is yet another fun shared world from CKP.

And I think it’s time to get back to writing. I have a character to kill…

What I’m Listening To

This week it’s Signals by… you guessed it, Rush! Yeah, I’m still on my Rush kick.

Quote of the Week

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the day the music died, so here’s a lyric from American Pie.

Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
– Don McLean, American Pie

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
https://www.sharkflight.com/dudes/

The latest show includes an interview with Craig Martelle of 20Booksto50K and IASFA.

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

Deadly Fortune by Aaron Rosenberg is coming soon!

Currently available:

New Mythology Works in Progress

We have no current open anthology calls but will have a new one announced at FantaSci.

I’m currently working on Keen Edge of Valor and it’s mostly done. You’re going to love it!

Get it here: storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/bbdf4462-1880-11ec-8eb9-a34519556732

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • The Door Into Winter (74,129)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • VAL (571)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

New Hit World anthology: You Pay: We Slay! This is the genre gumbo series from Bill Webb. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09R8VLM58

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 317.0

Updated Word Count: 4,426

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

Rob’s Update: The Excalispork

Week 4 of 2021

Greetings all

Sorry about not posting last week. I’ve been under the weather since ChattaCon. My turn in the Covid box, which I’ve long expected. To be frank, it wasn’t bad for me, just draining. I’m certainly on the mend now.

I did manage to get the base manuscript for Keen Edge of Valor complete and sent off to the editor. That will be released at FantaSci, and to ensure we have print copies there, we needed it done early. Which it is.

I’ve been working on Deadly Fortune, by Aaron Rosenberg. Due to some need to shift things around, this will be the next Eldros Legacy novel. It’s set in Shijuren (my continent), and it involves piracy, murder, treachery, intrigue, and all sorts of great things like that. To coin a phrase: “Killed by pirates is good.”

Side note: we watched Princess Bride over the holidays again. It’s been a month and I’m still basking in the great quotes, as you can see.

I haven’t really had a chance to do much writing and it’s been gnawing at me. The good news is that once I get my portion of Deadly Fortune and Keen Edge of Valor done, I have February basically open for writing. I do owe a short story by the end of the month, but I will get bunches done in the The Door Into Winter too.

I had planned to do a full ChattaCon AAR, but there isn’t much to discuss. The con organizers did all they could and worked their tails off, but attendance was down. No panel was particularly well attended that I saw. Again, not the fault of the organizers.

I had one panel go really well, and that’s the Iron Writing Panel, which was basically a Whose Line style story creation thing where I kept adding/changing characters and settings and events. Quite fun. Long live the Excalispork!

That will be among the cards in the next version of this game.

Also, part of why I don’t have much to say is that I left early to get ahead of the weather. I’m really glad I did as I had smooth sailing, which wouldn’t have happened had I stayed throughout.

I’m glad I went, especially since I got to hang out more with William Joseph Roberts. He’s a smart man who’s doing real cool things.

Anyway, I think it’s time for me to edit.

What I’m Listening To

Not surprising, but since I was sick and not able to focus on work, I’ve been watching Rush concerts and documentaries, so it’s the current thing on the playlist. I’m mostly listening to it in whole album chunks and I’m currently on Power Windows. Like always, I hear one of Rush’s albums and two things happen. One, I remember just how good that album was especially since I always hear some intricacy I hadn’t heard before. Two, I remember that particular time in my life in sharper focus. Every new Rush album marked my life like signposts.

Quote of the Week

Fifty-five years since the mission that never flew, Apollo 1.

“If we die, we want people to accept it. We’re in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.”
– Gus Grissom

Dudes In Hyperspace

Follow the Dudes In Hyperspace here:
https://www.sharkflight.com/dudes/

The latest show includes an interview with Craig Martelle of 20Books and IASFA.

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Get five free stories and signed up with the Eldros Legacy mailing list! Here There Be Giants is at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

We’re doing some consolidation of the process right now, meaning there will be some special things happening in February. I’ll talk more about that soon.

Khyven the Unkillable is here: amazon.com/dp/B09N288DCC

Seeds of Dominion is here: amazon.com/dp/B09PK1QYDY/

New Mythology Works in Progress

We have no current open anthology calls but will have a new one in January.

I’m currently working on Keen Edge of Valor for release at FantaSci.

Giveaways

Lots this week because I missed last week.

Sci-Fi Generation
Sci-Fi Generation

Sci-Fi Generation

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/bd544624-6341-11ec-bae8-9fe13dd3b276

Warriors for Good
Warriors for Good

Warriors for Good

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/1b13bb6a-1418-11ec-9a16-9f45996aea4e

Start the year with an adventure
Start the year with an adventure

Start the year with an adventure

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/4f277d00-693c-11ec-81b9-7fb7fa4bcdef

January Sci-Fi Giveaway
January Sci-Fi Giveaway

January Sci-Fi Giveaway

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/e9d06e20-63fb-11ec-a3ca-8bb708dff2d2

Unlimited Reading
Unlimited Reading

Unlimited Reading

books.bookfunnel.com/unlimitedreading/cp9vd3wqhr

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • The Door Into Winter (74,029)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

Two new releases this week, mostly because I didn’t do one last week. The first is A Rupture In Time by Mike Jack Stoumbos, the second of the This Fine Crew series. You can find it here: amazon.com/dp/B09QPJJ7XC.

Next is The Magnetar by Jo Boone. This is the first in the Combined Service series. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B09QC78PLJ.

By the way, these are two recent additions to the CKP stable. Chris is always keeping an eye out for you guys. You want good stories and he wants to give them to you, and here is proof.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 318.2 (Not a typo. I was already trending down a bit and then I got sick and haven’t eaten much. Not ideal to lose that much that fast, and I expect it will creep up some in the next weeks, but it’s still exciting to be under 320)

Updated Word Count: 3,696

Eldros Legacy Archives: 813 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series

2021 AAR

Greetings all

2021 was the biggest year of my publishing career, but I suspect I’ll write the same exact words next year with all that’s happening. Nevertheless, here’s what I was involved in that came out in 2021:

2021 Mosaic
2021 Mosaic

This mosaic, by the way, doesn’t include stuff that’ll come out in 2022 which I worked on, such as Quincy J. Allen’s Seeds of Dominion, coming out on Tuesday.

By my reckoning, I put out 384,836 total words in 2021. Now, there are some statistical points to be made, out of honesty.

  • I only wrote 139,340 words of new stuff. That’s 1 novel, and only 6 short stories.
  • I keep track of my blog posts too, as it’s one way to ensure I’m putting out consistent content. That was 49,811.
  • The remaining 195,685 is 1/4 of the words in books I edited for New Mythology Press in 2021, 4 anthologies and 5 novels. I agree I should keep some track of that, as if I hadn’t done all that I would have definitely written more. I’m not convinced 1/4 is the right number. I’m thinking I may go to 1/5 in 2022. We’ll see.

Still, any way you want to stack it, that’s not a bad year. Add on to that I spent many hours helping develop the Eldros Legacy and learning how to do a bunch of new things for New Mythology Press, and I would say it wasn’t a wasted year.

That’s especially true since I only count things I’ve finished in a calendar year. This total doesn’t include, for example, the 70k or so I’ve got written in The Door Into Winter nor the editing I’ve done for The Keen Edge of Valor, as they aren’t yet finished.

I’m proud of all the stories I wrote and helped put out in 2021. This is highlighted, of course, by The Ravening of Wolves. This novel really came together, I think, thanks to a bunch of tales given to me by friends who’ve seen the challenges behind the scenes in the military. Much of what went into that book are inspired by actual SNAFUs, because the main universal truth in military history that I can find is: “Shit happens.”

Of my short stories, I tried a number of whimsical things. For example, Careful With That Axe, E.U. Gene included over 200 song and band references hidden within about 9000 words. The biggest result, of course, is The Incomparable Treasure, which comes out at some point in 2022 as part of Larry Correia and Kacey Ezell’s next SF/F noir anthology, No Game for Knights. This is a huge honor for me, and I’m really excited about it.

I certainly learned a ton with New Mythology Press this year. I can’t thank Chris Kennedy enough for the opportunity and I hope I live up to his expectations.

I would say I earned a B- grade for my work as publisher in 2021. I tend to be a harsh grader, but as I look back I see areas I can improve upon. Now, to be fair, the biggest area I need to improve upon is simply experience, and that’s happening, but I could have accelerated my learning curve in places.

Nevertheless, I did learn and improve as the year’s gone on. I’d better, as I have a bunch of things to publish in 2022, which I’ll talk about in another blog post.

I am most proud of Responsibility of the Crown, I think. It was the first novel I’d ever edited, and I think it came out fantastic. It helps that G. Scott Huggins is a great writer, but I do think I contributed.

It was nerve-wracking for me, in some ways, but the results really fired me up. Like many writers (and now as publisher), I suffer from constant self-doubt and seeing the difference between the original draft Scott sent me of Responsibility and the final draft helps me believe I have some skill in this process. Again, though, it’s not a great story without Scott doing the heavy lifting.

I’m also proud of the Talons & Talismans anthologies. They were a challenge, one that made Chris shake his head and chuckle at my expense a time or eight.

However, those anthologies did much of what I wanted. I got involved with experienced writers I hadn’t worked with before, like Aaron Rosenberg, who I hope to publish a bunch more times down the road. I got a bunch of new writers opportunities, like Michael Gants, who I think you’ll be seeing fairly often in the future.

I also got to rummage around in the process of making anthologies at a much more detailed level. I’d done two prior to Talons & Talismans, but this was more, and I needed it.

On the behind the scenes side of things, I had a couple of hiccups with my mailing list, but I’m pleased with where I’m at now. I started working with the Writers House of Corrections to build that mailing list even more. Long term, I think that list and this blog, not Facebook or other social media platforms, will be my primary forms of interaction.

I learned a ton about how book art gets made. I knew some of it from self-publishing my first six novels, but there’s always more to learn. I’m amazed at what artists like Melissa Gay and Jake Caleb constantly produce.

Most fun of all is getting to know the editing staff of Chris Kennedy Publishing better. Mia Kleve is an amazing bedrock of competence. It was she, in fact, who created the above mosaic of covers, within like 2 minutes. Tiffany Reynolds is incredibly fast and skilled. I didn’t get to work with Beth Agajew as much in 2021, but I’ve had the pleasure before. We brought in Jonathan Miller too. He edited Seeds of Dominion and we have more plans for him.

I also got to interact with the advance readers more. Shawn Carey is a machine. He is an unseen, but much appreciated member of the team. Another is Zach Ritz, who routinely catches a bunch of errors that have slipped past all of our editors, including me. That’s a much less common skill than I think people realize.

A long time ago, I realized writing was about creating a team around the writer. That’s even more true about publishing. If I want to point at any one single thing I’m pleased with in 2021 it’s the creation of a new team around me, one which I’m already blessed to be a part of.

I’m just going to conclude that I’m looking at my shelf of books, the shelf holding books I’ll be selling at conventions. There’s Jon Osborne’s Milesian Accords series, including The House Between Worlds which I helped publish. There’s Khyven the Unkillable, by Todd Fahnestock, first of the Eldros Legacy novels. There are Four Horsemen Universe titles, especially The Ravening of WolvesAnd there’s all sorts of titles produced prior to 2021. There’s a lot of titles there, but a bunch more are coming.

2021 was the start of something awesome.

Rob’s Update: The Day After

Week 42 of 2021

Greetings all

I’m home! Yesterday I drove back from Coinjock, NC to Kansas City. Was a heck of a drive, made all the more enjoyable to have fellow Eldros Legacy contributors, Mark Stallings and Jamie Ibson as co-pilot and bombardier.

The House Between Worlds
The House Between Worlds

The House Between Worlds came out on Tuesday! This is the fourth in Jon R. Osborne’s excellent Milesian Accords series. Some books are challenging to edit, but this was not one of them. It was a joy to be a part of it because it’s so good.

I didn’t expect anything else, because I’ve long enjoyed Jon R. Osborne’s writing. He has a calm demeanor that comes through in his writing and sometimes you don’t realize until the end of a major action sequence just how much you’re on edge until you reach the end. And then you’re breathless as you try and catch up with the power of his prose that’s was driving you, even if you didn’t realize it.

For myself, I worked a goodly amount at FactoryCon. A bunch of it was publisher work, but I managed to write about 6000 words, including sharpening up the first four chapters into what I’d guess are basically final form. So far, no lockups wondering what I need to write next, which is what I was hoping for, though my primary lockup section is the third quarter of the book. We’ll see, but it’s promising.

And now, I’m signing off. Lots to do, including another nap after getting home. Long drives take it out of me more than they used to and that was a hike, but I’m really glad to be home with sweetie, dog, and kitties.

What I’m Listening To

Senjutsu, the new Iron Maiden album. I’m odd because I thought Book of Souls, their last album, was perhaps their best, top to bottom. I’m still just learning this album, so I’m not ready to make any grand pronouncements yet.

But I will say this, one of the things I loved about Book of Souls was that these musicians have had a lifetime to get better and they have. It shows here too.

Quote of the Week

A crew of us closed out FactoryCon by watching Dune in Elizabeth City. I really enjoyed it. It’s hard to make a definitive judgement, much like I couldn’t really make a definitive judgement of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers until after Return of the King had come out.
But I can say this. So, so good. So really good. At the very least, it has the big sweeping scale that Dune should have and it’s well worth seeing in the theater for that very reason.
This is a quote that has resonated with me for quite a while, and one that I think of quite often when making my choices.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

– Frank Herbert

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Talons & Talismans II went out to the advance readers this past week! That means we’re getting close to its release on 9 November.

Why do I include this here instead of immediately below? Because there are Eight Eldros Legacy stories in here, including one from each founder plus Elowyn Fahnestock, Jamie Ibson, and Sam Witt. Also, two future contributors, Aaron Rosenberg and Courtney Farrell provided other stories.

Basically, this is a chance for you to dip your toes in the oceans of the Eldros Legacy. Come on in, the water’s nice.

New Mythology Works in Progress

Current open anthology calls:

I’m currently working on Quincy J. Allen’s Seeds of Dominion, the second novel in the Eldros Legacy. That will come out in January.

Of course, on December 7th, we kick of the novels with Todd’s Fahnestock’s Khyven the Unkillable.

Giveaways

Tales of the Future
Tales of the Future

This week’s giveaway is Tales of the Future, including my Nick Patara, PI urban fantasy story, Under a Midnight Clear. You can find it, and a bunch of other free stories here: https://storyoriginapp.com/bundles/109e9f7a-1d6d-11ec-b404-7f39f05b7c47?bundleLinkId=JNEXltj.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • The Door Into Winter (23,972)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

The House Between Worlds by Jon R. Osborne. It’s truly an amazing book and it’s an honor to be a part of it. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K4RRMP6.

Then we have another anthology from Jamie Ibson, And Then It Got Weird. Fifteen tales of writers dreaming up oddnesses. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JVHX4K1.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: No clue. Scale needs a new battery.

Updated Word Count: 287,091

Eldros Legacy Archives: 797 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

Founder in the Eldros Legacy series