Tag Archives: Brisco Woods

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Recovering from Madness

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Week 33 of 2022

Greetings all

The second Wednesday at Pennsic includes Midnight Madness. Basically, this means we’re open until midnight, most merchants have some sort of specials, and a bunch of people plan fun things to do to turn it into a bit of a swirling, shopping festival.

It’s a blast.

It’s also exhausting, especially the day after. We did well last night, but neither I nor the potter who’s selling stuff out of my booth are very energetic.

This has been a week of a lot of work. I finished the editing of The Chimera Coup, the first book in a new series by Christopher G. Nuttall. The series is entitled The Heirs of Cataclysm and if you’ve read Nuttall before, you know it’ll be full of action and great challenges for the characters to overcome.

You’re gonna love it.

Embers & Ash
Embers & Ash

Of course, Tuesday is the release of Embers & Ash by Marie Whittaker. This will unlock all 5 continents of Eldros.

I wrote when I could, which wasn’t as often as I expected because we’ve had so many sales. I did get words in here and there, but seriously, it’s been a great war for sales. Still, I got about 5k written across several projects.

I have also been editing Responsibility of the Throne, the sequel to G. Scott Huggins’ excellent Responsibility of the Crown. This comes out in November. There have been a few other things that got finished I will announce in the upcoming weeks.

I also got confirmations of two new events, so check the listing of where I’ll be for where I’ll be.

It may seem surprising, but Pennsic is perhaps my most productive two weeks of the year, and this year was even better.

What I’m Listening To

Bagpipes in the distance and the occasional cannon shot to signify a battle’s beginning and ending. (No, it’s not fired at the actual battle)

Quote of the Week

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Maldon in 991. I actually wrote about this battle in Trouble in the Wind. It’s a fairly famous battle because of the poem written about it, which describes the Viking raiding fleet, a battle of the causeway, and a decision by the leader of the English, Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of East Anglia.

The most famous part comes after Byrhtnoth’s death, where his warriors stand up and declare they’ll fulfill their oath and die at his side.

In the SCA, one of my favorite songs concerns this battle. It’s written by Rosalind Jehanne and here’s perhaps my favorite passage from it. Note how well she follows the Anglo-Saxon alliterative poetic style and still uses the rhyme and arrangement of modern songs. Combining two such disparate genres is incredibly difficult.

“Death is our doom     But let us die with honor
All that lives after     Is what the bards do say
Fight to be worthy     Of fame in the future
Let them remember     The deeds we do today”
– Rosalind Jehanne, Battle of Maldon

Dudes In Hyperspace

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

The latest show includes a delicious conversation about BBQ with Jim Nettles.

Also, since I’ve been at Pennsic and couldn’t record, we skipped a couple of weeks. We’re going to make that up next week.

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+.

Embers & Ash by Marie Whittaker is coming on August 16th!

Currently available:

Get all the Eldros Legacy novels at: amazon.com/dp/B09Z9WVKYV

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.

It must also be a fantasy story. Any type is welcome, urban, epic, high, western, gothic, whatever, it just have to have magic. Finally, it cannot have been published anywhere else before.

I’m currently working on The Pain Bearer by Kendra Merritt, book 7 in the Eldros Legacy.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (23,151)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,310)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

Two new releases this week. First, in the the Fallen World comes Cause and Effect by Brisco Woods. It’s the 17th book in this great post-apocalyptic series. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B8JCXDV3.

Next is a book I’m criminally behind in talking about. This is Kayla Krantz’s The Council. It’s book one in a new fantasy series called The Witch’s Ambition. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B855VDQ5.

I’m also remiss in not mentioning that No Game for Knights is available for pre-release on Amazon here: amazon.com/dp/B0B57DS9JD. It’s a great honor to be a part of this.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 323.0

Updated Word Count: 148,778

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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: A New Wordhoard Unlocked

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Week 41 of 2020

Greetings all

Last week, my story “An Oath’s Other Edge” was released in the flash fiction Dragons and Dribbles : A Corner Scribblers Flash Collection w/ guest author, Rob Howell. This was a great honor for me, as the Corner Scribblers, a writing group in Chattanooga invited me to contribute both a story and the introduction.

Many thanks to them.

My story in the anthology is set in Shijuren and is about the foundation of the Order of the Fortress of Rabah, the order of chivalry that to which Ausartxango had sworn his life. It’s actually about oaths challenging Rabah and his brother Jaime.

It’s also only 1000 words long. That was the prompt. Write a fantasy story with no more than 1000 words. I managed, but it was tough. It was, however, a fantastic exercise, and one I will do again.

I also wrote the introduction. They wanted something to encourage writers, so I basically expanded on the basic point I often say in panels: There is one true way of writing and it’s what helps you get words on the page. Doesn’t matter if it does or doesn’t work for whichever big name you love, it only matters if it helps you get words on the page.

Coming up on Tuesday is the audiobook release of the The Feeding of Sorrows. James Patrick Cronin did the narration and did a fantastic job. It’s on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K9DX13G/.

As mentioned, it’s on pre-order for Audible now and released on Tuesday. It is also, of course, available at the same link in both e-book and paperbook form.

A week of releases is always a good week, even if I didn’t make as much progress on more words on the page myself. I was kind of bleah all week long, and far less productive than normal. It happens, and it only really matters if I get mad at myself for it.

So, I’m not. Easy to say, but I think I’ll be able to avoid getting the downs. A good week will make a difference, and I expect to be productive. Also, I did quite a bit of pre-production stuff for None Call Me Mother. At some point next week, I’ll do the cover reveal.

What I’m Listening To

“Round and Round” by Ratt. I still like this song, though it has faded somewhat during the last 30 plus years. It’s no longer a song I’ll listen to over and over. That being said, I can watch the Geico “Ratt Problem” commercial repeatedly and still laugh. They get me with that entire series.

Quote of the Week

I’ve always loved the Old English term word hoard. Such a neat way to express the concept of vocabulary. Every time I write, I feel like I am playing with the greatest wealth there could be, the words that I have hoarded from Tolkien, Forester, and all the rest. So today’s quote is from Beowulf, where he replies to the coast guard.

I’ll only do the two lines here, but if you want a great paraphrase of what Beowulf says in the poem, go watch the part of 13th Warrior where they have just landed in Hrothgar’s land and are met by the herald.

Him se yldesta ondswarode,
werodes wisa, wordhord onleac:

Him the eldest answered
With his kin’s wisdom, unlocked his wordhoard
– Beowulf, lines 258-259.

News and Works in Progress

  • The Ravening of Wolves (32,068)
  • CB (8,418)
  • Cynewulf (8,642)
  • Gato (2,312)

New Releases

This week’s spotlight is on a local guy, Erwin K Roberts, and his latest Moon Man story. He’s a huge fan of pulp, and this is in that 1930s-40s style that I love. It’s called The Moon Man Showdown on the Plains: Sherwood in America and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HTM6F31.

We have another romance from CKP. Romance? Yep. He’s also publishing romance now, and here’s an anthology edited by Sheellah Kennedy and Joy Wandrey. It’s called Men in Uniform: A Steamy Romance Anthology. It’s on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KY55PCQ/.

Something you probably would expect more from one of my normal crew is Relations by Brisco Woods. This is set in Christopher Woods’s Fallen World universe, which is a lot of fun and continuing to grow. It’s here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KY55PCQ/.

Whew, I think that’s it. Oh, wait, did I mention my new Shijuren story, “An Oath’s Other Edge,” in Dragons and Dribbles : A Corner Scribblers Flash Collection w/ guest author, Rob Howell. I did? Oh, just making sure.

Today’s Weight: 360.8

Updated Word Count: 238,004

Shijuren Wiki: 874 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

Currently Available Works
Shijuren
Four Horsemen Universe
The Phases of Mars
Short Stories

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