Tag Archives: Dennis M. Myers

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Rob’s Update: Happy Groundhog’s Day Eve

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Week 5 of 2024

Greetings all

There’s no big news this week. I’m plugging away at tasks for bigger projects like Okkorim and Paladins of Valor. I was very productive, but it’s one of those weeks where I can’t point at a major item of note.

Between editing and writing, I dealt with something like 60,000 words this past week, which is nice. However, as I say, they’re tasks within an overall project.

I spent a goodly amount of time straightening up in the garage and shop areas. Still a long way to go, but my goal of getting the shop going in April or so for some woodworking projects is on track. Plus, I have a special plan for a chunk of the garage.

I think that’s it for this week. It’s a short update, I know, but this was one of those boring yet necessary and productive weeks.

Have a great week, everyone!

New and Cool

It’s not new and cool, but I’ve been rewatching Babylon 5. Such a good show.

Quote of the Week

Happy Coronation day to Edward III on this day in 1327.

And here’s his parenting technique with his son, the Black Prince.

Also say to them, that they suffre hym this day to wynne his spurres, for if god be pleased, I woll this journey be his, and the honoure therof.
– Edward III

Dragon’s Tidings

We had a great game night this past Monday, and I know the word is spreading. This past week we started a 5E campaign in the Firehall Sagas.

Also, the Beginning Quilting class has been a big hit so far. Session 3 tonight.

Oh, and we’re starting to see more longarm quilting jobs. If you’re interested in that service, you might want to reach out. At some point, there’ll be a wait for her to get started.

Check out our class schedule:
reddragonquilts.com/calendar.htm

New Mythology Works in Progress

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)
  • Okkorim (58,116)

Upcoming Events

Freebies and Cool Stuff

February: Free Fantasy & SciFi

https://books.bookfunnel.com/fantasyscicifebruary/8nf2hq0590

February Sci-Fi Giveaway

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/l1SsMIe

New Releases

This week we have Stolen Dreams from Dennis M. Myers, the 4th and final book in his Rise of the Automated Empire. Get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0CT5V8G8M.

This week’s pre-release is Wolf Legion by William S. Frisbee, Jr., the ninth book in The Last Marines. Holding Earth continues to get harder, and everyone is against the last Marines, but will they give up? Never! Check out the entire series here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0B5WRRMPB.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 371.0 lbs

Updated Word Count: 21,114

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 entries

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Under the Thumb

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Week 4 of 2024

Greetings all

Was a bit of a dreary week this week because we’ve had mostly gray days. One drawback to the new building is its lack of insulation, so not only has it been gray, it’s been chilly inside.

My wife thinks it’s hilarious, though, as when we lived in Kansas City, I never wore sweaters at home. Now, I often do. She likes to knit, but she’d never make me one that I wouldn’t wear. Now she just taunts me with it a bit.

I spent much of this week helping not only write Okkorim stuff but assisting with G20, which is the newsletter that Luke Gygax puts out. If you’re part of his Patreon, you can see some of what I’ve written for his world, plus get other tidbits. His Patreon is here: patreon.com/GaxxWorx.

I did about 5,000 new words in Okkorim, plus started reading through the notes for The Ravening of Wolves.

I also made great strides with getting Paladins of Valor done. I feel odd a bit this year, as I feel like I’m really late. However, FantaSci is a month late, so I’m really exactly where I should be.

I did some reading this week too. I’ve been getting back to my roots, and currently I’m re-reading the Barsoom books from Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also, I spent a lazy afternoon re-reading The Ghost of Dibble Hollow. This was a book I read in 4th grade or so, one of the many things I pestered my parents about during the Scholastic Book days, and it was one of my favorites as a kid.

I hadn’t read it since the early 80s, at least, and I was a bit nervous that it might not have aged well. However, it’s still a great kids book, even if the editing of 1965 used different standards than I do nearly 60 years later. The book has action, mystery, suspense, rivalries, and of course, a ghost. I’m keeping it to read to the grandkid.

And hey, tonight, I’m going through making this newsletter under the thumb of viewers. A couple of writers who are on the New Mythology Discord joined me as I typed it up. I showed them my methods, and hopefully it’ll help them.

Really, it’s been another one of those weeks where I didn’t think I got much done, but in retrospect, we did a goodly amount.

And with that, I’m going to go introduce myself to the wife.

New and Cool

Did I mention G20 from Luke Gygax on Patreon? This month’s issue, edited by me, along with a lot of my content, comes out in a few days. Sign up here: patreon.com/GaxxWorx.

Quote of the Week

It’s been 7 years since Mary Tyler Moore passed, but I still love watching reruns of shows she’s in. Plus she provided all creators with a great quote here.

Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
– Mary Tyler Moore

Dragon’s Tidings

We had our first game night at the store. Sadly, as it was the first and the weather was wretched (cold, gray, and icy), we only got one person. However, I expect that’ll grow as we go along.

Every Monday night starting 5ish to 9ish.

Tonight, we’ve got the second session of the wife’s Beginning Quilting class. Also, we have some paper piercing classes coming. If you’re interested, check out our class schedule at:
reddragonquilts.com/calendar.htm

New Mythology Works in Progress

I had an incredibly hard time choosing the winners of this year’s open call for Paladins of Valor. So many stories I wanted to publish, but here are the four I finally selected as the best.

  • Chris Hepler with High Water Mark
  • Nathan Balyeat with Welcome to Detroit
  • David Birdsall with The Passing of the Mantle
  • Chad Boyer with Apprentice in Trouble

I’ve edited all of these at this point, and I’m pleased to say they’re even better than I realized.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)
  • Okkorim (52,813)

Upcoming Events

Freebies and Cool Stuff

Step out of the shadows

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/t0OCEsf

Adventure, Horror, and Wonders in Space

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/JHgHfww

New Releases

More 4HU awesomeness this week in Foiled Ambitions from John M. Olsen. This is the eleventh book in the Four Horsemen’s Phoenix Initiative. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CSKNY8FS/

Your pre-release this week is Stolen Dreams from Dennis M. Myers, the 4th and final book in his Rise of the Automated Empire. Get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0CT5V8G8M.

Tracked Items

My Weight Today: 368.2lbs

Updated Word Count: 15,467

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 entries

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: A Right Turn At Albuquerque

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Week 51 of 2023

Greetings all

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas or a wonderful time at whatever holiday you celebrate. I had a great time, especially since we got grandbaby time. The kids go back today, but I had a great moment of the grandbaby falling asleep on my lap.

We’re winding down on 2023 and I have to say it was a far more eventful year than I ever anticipated. We took this right turn at Albuquerque and I’m so glad we did.

Along the way, I tallied about 387,000 words according to my formula. This was less than what I aimed for in January (500k), but I didn’t expect the opportunity.

To break that down, there was a full length novel (Farewell, My Ugly), three regular short stories (Hyarkeen in Thirteen Stories of Horror, Dust Devil Courtship for my reader magnet, The Ruriksaga, and I Smell a Rat for the upcoming 4HU Bureau 42 anthology), nearly 30k in Okkorim, 5 Postcards stories (2 accepted), 15 riddles, about 40k in blog posts, and nearly 800k edited. Really, given that from April 11 we closed on the new house, closed on the old house, built up the new place to have stores laid out, and had our grand opening, I have to see it was a year of many achievements.

Oh, yeah, we got a grandbaby too!

What’s up for 2024? Well, I’ll talk about that next week. I would specifically like people to chime in at rob@robhowell.org what they like about this mailing list. One of my goals for 2024 is to improve this list, both in the content and the mechanics. Let me know anything you like, don’t like, or want to see. I want to make this list serve you all better.

As for the rest of this week, I have to finish the Bureau 42 story and a chunk of Okkorim stuff, but there’s little to do there. Next week, I’ll be doing a couple more chunks of Okkorim and rolling into consistent work on The Feasting of Vengeance.

2023 wasn’t the great year I expected, it was the great year I needed. Here’s to 2024 being the same.

What I’m Listening To

We’re watching Colombo tonight. Peter Falk is so great.

Quote of the Week

Happy 101st to Stan Lee, a great inspiration to creators of all stripes. As a writer, though, he often sees to the heart of the matter, like here.

“To my way of thinking, whether it’s a superhero movie or a romance or a comedy or whatever, the most important thing is you’ve got to care about the characters. You’ve got to understand the characters and you’ve got to be interested. If the characters are interesting, you’re half-way home.”

– Stan Lee

New Mythology Works in Progress

I had an incredibly hard time choosing the winners of this year’s open call for Paladins of Valor. So many stories I wanted to publish, but here are the four I finally selected as the best.

  • Chris Hepler with High Water Mark
  • Nathan Balyeat with Welcome to Detroit
  • David Birdsall with The Passing of the Mantle
  • Chad Boyer with Apprentice in Trouble

Rob’s Works in Progress

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

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week we have Broken Trust, third book in the Rise of the Automated Empire series by Dennis M. Myers. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKVRTSQQ.

Your pre-release this week is book 8 in the Last Marines series by William S. Frisbee, Jr. It’s entitled Wolf Emperor and you can get it here amazon.com/dp/B0CR1TXG61.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 358.8

Updated Word Count: 387,112

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 entries

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

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Rob’s Update: The Opening Was Grand

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Week 50 of 2023

Greetings all

Last Friday was our Grand Opening, and it was great! A bunch of people made it happen, and we thank all of them.

Here’s a couple of pictures thanks to Kari at Harper County EcoDev.

Grand Opening Red Dragon Quilts
Grand Opening Red Dragon Quilts
Grand Opening Dragons Den
Grand Opening Dragons Den

We’re going on an adventure!

To be honest, much of this week was spent on recovery. I did work on a story for the upcoming 4HU Bureau 42 anthology. I also did a bunch of stuff for Okkorim. However, it wasn’t my most productive week overall.

Monday is, of course, Christmas. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season. We get more time with the grandbaby, which is really all the present I need. This will be our first Christmas with the baby and how cool is that?

One last thing. Thanks to all of you for following along on my journey. 2023 did not go as anticipated, but I’m so glad of how it went.

Wow, a fairly brief post from me. I guess that’s my present to you all.

What I’m Listening To

Rams v. Saints. It’s been a fun game to watch.

Quote of the Week

Today is December 21st, or as the Europeans would write it, 21/12.

Sure it’s the solstice, but it’s International Rush Day!

What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It’s got wires that vibrate, and give music
What can this thing be that I found?

See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently, like rain.
– Rush, 2112

New Mythology Works in Progress

I had an incredibly hard time choosing the winners of this year’s open call for Paladins of Valor. So many stories I wanted to publish, but here are the four I finally selected as the best.

  • Chris Hepler with High Water Mark
  • Nathan Balyeat with Welcome to Detroit
  • David Birdsall with The Passing of the Mantle
  • Chad Boyer with Apprentice in Trouble

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Ruriksaga (52,626)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week is something new in the Four Horsemen Universe. It’s Thicker Than Water from Michael Morton and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CQ5TC144.

Your pre-release this week is Broken Trust, third book in the Rise of the Automated Empire series by Dennis M. Myers. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKVRTSQQ.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 365.8

Updated Word Count: 373,065

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 entries

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Happy Thanksgiving

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Week 46 of 2023

Greetings all

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

New Mythology Works in Progress

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • Okkorim (23,121)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

Your release this week is the second book in Dennis M. Myers’ Rise of the Automated Empire series. It’s entitled Rise of the Automated Empire: Final Assembly and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKVFR1PL.

And for pre-release, we have book 7 in William S. Frisbee’s Last Marines series, Son of the Wolf. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CMPFGZZC/.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 361.2

Updated Word Count: 364,509

Firehall Sagas Archives: 758 entries

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the website, this email, or cool story ideas at rob@robhowell.org. Especially let me know of suggestions you have for the Spotlight section.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Home, Sweet Home

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Week 45 of 2023

Greetings all

Wow, what a momentous week. Lots to get to but at the end, I get to talk about something truly cool.

Farewell, My Ugly
Farewell, My Ugly

First, while I was at 20Books, Farewell, My Ugly came out. So excited to see it come to fruition. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CMPCYD3W.

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
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
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
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.

“I’m not mean, just aggressive.”
– Harvey Martin

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Two weeks to get your story in!

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in Progres

  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • Okkorim (18,840)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

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.

Your pre-release this week is the second book in Dennis M. Myers’ Rise of the Automated Empire series. It’s entitled Rise of the Automated Empire: Final Assembly and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKVFR1PL.

Tracked Items

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.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Missing FactoryCon

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Week 42 of 2023

Greetings all

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.

The EdwardsagaI’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.

First Line of Next Riddle:

I have been shot, shadowing my memory

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Ruriksaga (50,851)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

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.

Your pre-release this week is more from the amazing D.T. Read. She’s got book 2 in her Sergey Chronicles series, entitled Echoes of Issel. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CL8CRY38.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 357.8

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.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: My Goodness

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Week 41 of 2023

Greetings all

My goodness, what a week! Around 7,000 new words in a number of projects, plus so much else going on.

The EdwardsagaI 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.

Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

But wait, there’s more!

13 Stories of Horror
13 Stories of Horror

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
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
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.

First Line of Next Riddle:

Myriad am I     Molded for memories

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1 of The Eyes of a Doll.

New Mythology Works in Progress

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 FantaSci Short Story Contest. Get the details here: chriskennedypublishing.com/2023/03/28/2024-fantasci-short-story-contest/.

Of note, this now includes our recent releases, so if you’re not sure what we’ve put out lately, you can go here and check.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)
  • Ruriksaga (50,266)
  • The Seven (13,766)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week is a new 4HU novel. It’s Gunpowder Geishas by Carolyn Kay. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CKF8BP29.

Get Where Now the Rider here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CK6Q8TYV.

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.

Have a great week, everyone.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe