Tag Archives: P.A. Piatt

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Family Matters

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Week 30 of 2022

Greetings all

I think about family often this week every year. My grandfather was born on the 20th of July. My dad on the 31st. Combine that with the fact we’re heading to a family reunion soon, it’s even more in my mind this year.

I’m lucky in my family. I wouldn’t get to do this without their support. My mom helped get me started in this job, as she has helped me so many times before. My dad got me interested in reading, and so much of what I write is influenced by what he introduced me to. My wife has been there for a lot longer than the 33 days we’ve been officially hitched. Plus, there are all the rest. And, of course, the cats, who are ever so helpful.

Thanks to all of you.

Anyway, this past week has been working on a bunch of editing. If that sounds like a lot of the previous weeks, you’ve clearly been paying attention. However, I’ve wanted to get on the other side of that curve to let me balance writing a bit more as I go into a very busy time for me.

I just finished my portion of editing The Pain Bearer yesterday. This is the September Eldros Legacy novel. It’s by Kendra Merritt and it’s set in Noksonon.

And it rocks. One of my favorite novels I’ve read of late. I really enjoyed the way she made our magic system work and be challenging.

Of course, we just had Mark Stallings release his book, The Forgotten King, last week. You can get that here: amazon.com/dp/B0B67ML6H2.

Next is Embers & Ash by Marie Whittaker. That comes out on August 16th. This will be set in Pyranon, and with its release all five continents will now be opened up. We’re really excited about that, and expect some fun stuff down the road to follow up now that we’ve opened up the entire world.

As mentioned, over the next few weeks, I anticipate writing a bit. One of the drawbacks of editing has been my limited output, but the silver lining is that a bunch of ideas have been whirling around in my head. I expect that I’ll be writing in a variety of stories as I just get some of these ideas out on the page.

With that, it’s time to take the wife to dinner.

What I’m Listening To

Blind by Korn. I like a bunch of Korn’s music, but while this was the song that introduced them to me, it’s still my favorite thing from them. I actually stumbled onto this song, and Korn, on first ESPN X-Games compilation album, which is really a great collection of songs.

Quote of the Week

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Shrewsbury, where Henry IV defeated Henry Percy, known as Hotspur. I had the pleasure of walking this battlefield back in 2006.

Did you know, if you walk around a battlefield singing SCA songs about that battle, the joggers and moms with prams will look at you like you’re strange? Who knew?

Here’s a verse from that song.

Ready your weapons and don warlike harness
The King rides to greet us at Shrewsbury town.
He’ll pay what he owes me, or fight on the morrow,
The Blue Lion of Percy will bloody the ground.
– Andrew of Wolvenwood, Hotspur

Dudes In Hyperspace
DIHP 20220707
DIHP 20220707

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

The latest show has us in video. Scary I know, but we had a great conversation about writing short stories and one-shot novels as opposed to series.

This last one went so well, we’re going to try it again on Zoom this evening.

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 soon!

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 Door Into Winter, my next novel.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (xx)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (16,045)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
  • Pennsic, 29 July – 14 August, Cooper’s Lake Campground, PA, pennsicwar.org/
  • FenCon, 16-18 September, Irving, TX, fencon.org/
New Releases

Last week, we got The Forgotten King by Mark Stallings. This is book 6 in the Eldros Legacy and it’s done really well so far. Find out why here: amazon.com/dp/B0B67ML6H2.

This week, we have P.A. Piatt’s 7th Abner Fortis, ISMC novel, Uncivil War. If you haven’t gotten into this series yet, you’re missing out. Get this one here: amazon.com/dp/B0B6DV772Z.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 323.2

Updated Word Count: 146,236

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: An Extravaganzapolooza!

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Weeks 25-26 of 2022

Greetings all

This will be a longer email than normal with a whole bunch of $0.99 books and new releases. In part, it’s because we just have a whole bunch going on. In part, because next week I won’t be able to make a post so I’m slamming everything in this ahead of time.

The key thing is to watch for dates on sales and giveaways, because they’re not all the same time.

Anyway, on to the fun part.

Lorelle of the Dark
Lorelle of the Dark

First, Lorelle of the Dark is live! You can get Todd Fahnestock’s new book here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3V3MXSJ. This is the direct sequel to Khyven the Unkillable, and is the 5th book in the Eldros Legacy… so far.

Oh, by the way, if you don’t have Khyven yet, it’s on sale for through Tuesday at $0.99. You can get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B09Z9W3ZSH.

But wait, there’s more! Chris Kennedy is also having The Reluctant Druid (1st book in the Milesian Accords by Jon R. Osborne), Cherry Drop (1st book in the Abner Fortis, ISMC by P.A. Piatt, and the one that started the whole Four Horsemen Universe, Cartwright’s Cavaliers by Mark Wandrey on sale through Tuesday at $0.99 as well.

In fact, you can get the all four in one swell foop by clicking right here.

We’ll get to even more in a moment, but that’s a heck of a start. Four great books at less than a dollar and a hot new release.

I did a bunch of editing on the new Eldros Legacy novel, The Forgotten King by Mark Stallings. This is a fun, action-packed story that rocks. Expect this on the 12th of July.

But of course, most of this week has been focused on wedding preparations. Did I mention that the wedding will be LiveStreamed at 7:30pm Central Time on Saturday the 18th? You can even bookmark the link here: youtube.com/watch?v=yJLHL9_IKZY.

You get to see me in funny clothes, with funny people, doing funny things. Going to be a hoot, I expect, and I am incredibly excited.

Oh, did I mention up above there’s more? There is!

As a wedding gift to you all, I’ve got both A Lake Most Deep and I Am a Wondrous Thing going on sale for $0.99 starting tomorrow, Friday the 17th, and running through Thursday the 23rd.

You can get A Lake Most Deep here: amazon.com/dp/B00WYIU6OG.

And I Am a Wondrous Thing is here: amazon.com/gp/product/B01HHKZJVA.

Again, they go on sale tomorrow through next Thursday.

And after you get done buying all that, there’s a huge list of stuff that’s

The event my sweetie and I will be getting married at is Calontir’s War of the Lilies. The event runs all week and while I’ll have phone access, I won’t have computer access. This means I won’t send out an email next Thursday. I’m including all that I’d put in next week’s in this week.

So…

While at the War of the Lilies, I’ll be selling books and doing a bunch of editing on Eldros Legacy projects. Hopefully, I’ll come back with a bunch less books and a bunch of stuff edited.

One great thing about these events is that I’m either making money, making progress on new stuff, or spending time with close friends. None of these are bad things.

This week has been busy and exhausting, so this afternoon I treated myself to a movie in the theater for the first time in over a decade. I’m not really a theater guy. Usually, I’d just rather watch the movie in my comfy chair at home, but I was told that the visuals of Top Gun: Maverick were worth seeing on the big screen.

Man, were those people right. The aerobatics alone were amazing, especially since they weren’t created with CGI, but actual pilots flying actual planes. Impressive stuff. The story was very good, nothing terribly surprising, just a good old-fashioned kick-ass film. Lots of fun, and I cried at several moments.

The Val Kilmer scene? Yeeesh. So powerful.

Anyway, I have things to pack, so let’s get to the rest of the stuff.

What I’m Listening To

Currently, I’m listening to Corvus Corax’s version of Cheiron Seikilos. Corvus Corax is one of those bands who play medieval songs on medieval instruments in a metal style. Fantastic stuff.

Quote of the Week

As I said, the Val Kilmer scene was something, especially since he can’t talk anymore and they had to recreate his voice for this. He’ll be my huckleberry this week with a quote every creator needs to hear.

“I saw the horizon. It’s out there. And though I may not ever be able to touch it, it’s worth reaching for.”
– Val Kilmer

Dudes In Hyperspace

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

The latest show includes an interview with the mighty Chris Kennedy himself.

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+.

Lorelle of the Dark is out! You can get Todd Fahnestock’s new book here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3V3MXSJ. This is the direct sequel to Khyven the Unkillable, and is the 5th book in the Eldros Legacy… so far.

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 Forgotten King, the next Eldros Legacy novel.

Giveaways

Three giveaways this week on top of the $0.99 stuff. If this doesn’t kickstart your summer reading, I don’t know what else I can do.

Free Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Free Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Free Sci-Fi & Fantasy

storyoriginapp.com/bundles/296eade2-cbfa-11ec-83e4-bfc9d2cafcdc?bundleLinkId=zV44Fyg

Imagination Unleashed
Imagination Unleashed

Imagination Unleashed

books.bookfunnel.com/yourimagination/m2pkpvazgj

Summertime All-Genre Fantasy
Summertime All-Genre Fantasy

Summertime All-Genre Fantasy

books.bookfunnel.com/springintosummerallgenrefantasy/vejk3wrion

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (xx)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (10,739)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

First, let’s get to Bestiarii, which is a new series from another new writer to CKP, James Tarr. You can get it here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0B44YM335.

Then there’s Terran Foundations, by Alex Rath. The second book in his Terran Space Project is here: amazon.com/dp/B0B3GBYDBG.

And then there’s Lorelle of the Dark by Todd Fahnestock. Book 5 in the Eldros Legacy is available here:  amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3V3MXSJ. This is the direct sequel to Khyven the Unkillable, and reviews are fantastic on this one.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 324.2

Updated Word Count: 143,498

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: Valorous Deeds

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Week 22 of 2022

Greetings all

Nope, this week’s title doesn’t refer to any of the Libri Valoris, though of course I hope you all note the open call for the next anthology, Bonds of Valor, down below.

Instead, I’ll be going to my first SCA event in over two years, the Tournament of Valor in Wichita, KS. I get to see my parents, sell my books, and hit my friends with sticks. What could be better?

Lorelle of the Dark
Lorelle of the Dark

This is an exciting week for other reasons too. We have the cover reveal for Lorelle of the Dark, the next Eldros Legacy novel. This one is by Todd Fahnestock and is a direct sequel to Khyven the Unkillable.

And man, it has an amazing cover as you can see. Lorelle of the Dark comes out on the 14th of June.

By the way, if you haven’t read Khyven the Unkillable yet, you should know it’s a finalist for the Colorado book awards. Then get into the whole of the Eldros Legacy.

But wait, there’s more! No Game for Knights, which includes a new Edward story, is now available on e-ARC from Baen. An e-ARC, for those who’ve not heard the term before, is an electronic advance reader copy. This means you can read the stories ahead of its real release in September, but it may have some errors or oddnesses that will get fixed for the final release.

If you can’t wait to read Edward’s next thrilling adventure, go here: baen.com/no-game-for-knights-earc.html.

It’s an incredible honor to be a part of this anthology. Just look at th author list: Laurell K. Hamilton, Larry Correia, Christopher Ruocchio, Michael Haspil, D.J. Butler, Kacey Ezell, Griffin Barber, Robert Buettner, Sharon Shinn, Craig Martelle, Chris Kennedy, S.A. Bailey, G. Scott Huggins, Nicole Givens Kurtz, and Rob Howell.

I may be last, heck, I may be least, but I’m there and I’m very excited. Ask me in person sometime about my reaction when I heard the news. That involves a bunch of Muppet flailing you just have to see.

I actually started playing around with the next Edward novel, which is long overdue. I am still working my way around a plotting issue in Sowing Spring’s Wrath, and rather than just beat my head against the wall, I started writing something else. 7500 words already, which is about 10% as I’m going to make these shorter, so it’s a good start.

My working title is a bit whimsical, but I might just keep it. I’m going with Farewell, My Ugly for now and we’ll see.

With that, I’d better go pack my armor.

What I’m Listening To

Moving Pictures by Rush. Right now, it’s on The Camera Eye, which is such an underrated song in my opinion. It’s probably the worst song on the album, but that’s because the other six songs are 11+ on a scale of 10 and this is only a 10.

Quote of the Week

Sad to hear that Ray Liotta passed away. My favorite of his roles was, not surprisingly, Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. Here’s my favorite quote of his from the movie.

“Man, I did love this game. I’d have played for food money. It was the game… The sounds, the smells. Did you ever hold a ball or a glove to your face?”
– Shoeless Joe Jackson, Field of Dreams

Dudes In Hyperspace

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

The latest show includes stuff on the Indianapolis 500 with an expert batting for me because I know almost nothing about racing. Still, the Indy 500 is one of those big sporting events I want to go to once, like the Kentucky Derby and a British Open at St. Andrews a number of others. Not something I’m huge into, but I want to experience the thing.

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 is out!

Lorelle of the Dark is next, coming out on June 14th.

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 Door Into Winter, my next novel.

Giveaways
Wicked Villains
Wicked Villains

 

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (xx)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (7,503)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
Upcoming Events
New Releases

The Abner Fortis, ISMC is now up to 6! books with Tango Two Two by P.A. Piatt. What a start to this series. You can it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B1LPY9JV.

Also, get the e-ARC for No Game for Knights here: baen.com/no-game-for-knights-earc.html

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 320.6

Updated Word Count: 140,648

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: Rock Chalk

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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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: Looking at the Sound

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Week 41 of 2021

Greetings all

I’m currently at FactoryCon looking out over Currituck Sound at the Outer Banks on a lovely evening.

Not a bad place to work. I didn’t get much done on the drive out here, but I’ve been making up the time with some great days so far. Talons & Talismans II is ready to go, plus a number of other projects with more to come.

Speaking of Talons & Talismans II, we decided to push it back a week to balance the releases a bit better. The scheduling conflict that pushed The House Between Worlds to release next Tuesday, the 26th meant we’d be cramming in all that promo stuff into one week. This felt tight to me, so we’re giving that one two weeks and then three weeks before Khyven the Unkillable. I’m still sorting out the pacing with New Mythology, which surprises me not at all.

The House Between Worlds
The House Between Worlds

Oh, by the way, T-minus 5 days to The House Between Worlds by Jon R. Osborne. This is the fourth in his Milesian Accords setting. I always know a book is great when I finish my editing in about half the time I usually take. This is one of those.

I’ve been plugging away at The Door Into Winter when I can, but it’s been a challenging week to write because of the drive. After clearing the decks, starting Monday, I suspect I’ll get some major jumps in word counts as I’ve got what I want to do in my head. Will probably do another sprint tonight, in fact.

Tomorrow, FactoryCon proper starts with the goings on. Tonight, there’ll be hanging out, though. There’s already been a bunch of that, but to be honest, driving three straight days takes it out of me and the last couple of days have been work followed by enjoying playoff baseball, a rare treat for me these days.

I also get to announce today that I’m adding a new feature to my mailing list, giveaways. I’ve got my two Santa Claus, PI stories set up on a couple of promo sites to help broaden my reader list. What that means for you is that if you haven’t already downloaded these, you have another chance. I’ll be adding my next one in December, working title of Fleece Navidad.

With that, I better get to writing.

What I’m Listening To

Decided this was a week for productivity, so that means Rush. Currently listening to Clockwork Angels. I’m different in many ways, but I’m the rare Rush fan that’s been around for the long haul who thinks this is their best album ever. It’s truly majestic.

Quote of the Week

Today is Ursula K. Le Guin’s birthday. The Wizard of Earthsea was one of my foundational stories. I still read it periodically.

One of the things I fight against in my writing is trying to explain too much. A book is really a collaboration between writer and reader. My goal is to create a foundation for the reader to something awesome. Here’s a good reminder for me when I overexplain.

 As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation, just as a cellist playing a Bach suite participates, note by note, in the creation, the coming-to-be, the existence, of the music. And, as you read and re-read, the book of course participates in the creation of you, your thoughts and feelings, the size and temper of your soul.
– Ursula K. Le Guin

Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

Talons & Talismans II has eight new Eldros Legacy stories. There’s one from each of the founders plus three more from Elowyn Fahnestock, Sam Witt, and Jamie Ibson.

We’re less than two months from Khyven the Unkillable by Todd Fahnestock and I am so excited for what’s coming.

New Mythology Works in Progress

Current open anthology calls:

I’m currently working on Seeds of Dominion, the next Eldros Legacy novel by Quincy J. Allen. He’s a really creative guy and you’ll get to see all of his talent in this.

Giveaways

Friends are Everything Promo
Friends are Everything Promo

This week’s giveaway is the Friends are Everything Promo. You can find it here: https://storyoriginapp.com/bundles/1883c340-e768-11eb-8372-fb3b36c7c525?bundleLinkId=mdi15cP

As I mentioned, I have a couple of stories there, but go check it out for a bunch of free stuff from a host of cool authors.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • The Door Into Winter (19,109)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week’s new release is a new story in Chuck Gannon’s Murphy’s Lawless series by Griffin Barber. I’ve been a fan of his since he and Kacey Ezell did a great noir style story called Second Chance Angel and of course there’s his stuff in the 1632 series. This book is Infiltration and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JLGBXW7.

Two releases this week! The second is another P.A. Piatt’s Abner Fortis, ISMC series. It’s called Fresh Fruit and Ammo and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FS7QR4M.

Not yet released, but on the way, is Jon R. Osborne’s excellent The House Between Worlds. Look for links to that on Tuesday.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 334.8

Updated Word Count: 285,556

Shijuren Wiki: 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

Weekly Update

Rob’s Update: The Eldros Legacy

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Week 34 of 2021

Greetings all

This is one of the most important updates I’ve sent out. I’ve said many times that big things are happening in my world and we’re ready to spill the beans of the sooper-seekrit project.

Welcome to the Eldros Legacy!

What is the Eldros Legacy? It is an expansion of Shijuren, which is only one of five continents in the world of Ertha. Quincy J. Allen has created the continent of Daemanon, Todd Fahnestock brings us Noksonon, Mark Stallings with Drakanon, and Marie Whittaker with Pyranon.

The characters you’ve grown to love in the earlier Shijuren series are still a part of the Eldros Legacy. Irina, Ausartxango, and Geirr have to complete tasks unfinished in None Call Me Mother . Edward has many more cases to solve in Achrida and the Empire of Makhaira. However, they’re now part of a larger, more vibrant world.

Starting in December with the release of Khyven the Unkillable by Todd Fahnestock, you’ll get an action-packed story on the first Tuesday of each month.

Yes, we are serious about giving you a novel or anthology a month staring in December 2021 and that means we’ll need help. This is a huge shared world project that will include many other authors before we’re done. You’re going to love what we’ve got planned.

Welcome, fans of the Eldros Legacy. And congratulations, fans of Shijuren. You got in on the ground floor of something special.

Thanks to Quincy, we’ve built a brand new website, and we will have a newsletter for fans just of the Eldros Legacy. It’s here: https://www.eldroslegacy.com/.

If you want to sign up for that one, go here: https://www.eldroslegacy.com/contact/newsletter/.

Or, even better, if you’d like to get a free collection of short stories to get a taste of the Eldros legacy while joining the mailing list, go here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qabsr57lq3+.

Man, have I been wanting to talk about the Eldros Legacy for a long while. The five of us started working on this project in January so we could make sure we’d be able to deliver what we promise. Khyven the Unkillable is essentially in the can (expect an artwork reveal soon), and Seeds of Dominion by Quincy, Embers & Ash by Marie, The Forgotten King by Mark, and The Door into Winter by myself will follow in succeeding months.

Whew. Time to take a breath.

Because I’ve got lots more going on. The first Talons & Talismans went out to the editor today. The second is almost complete and should be ready at some point next week. I’ve got a story in that called The Shield of the Innocent.

Lots more stuff about New Mythology below.

I’m still playing with stuff for The Door into Winter, which now you all know is not only another Shijuren novel, but also an Eldros Legacy novel.

I’ve got a short story coming out in a few weeks as well in It Takes All Kinds, an anthology of stories set in Kevin Steverson’s Salvage Title universe. It’s titled: “Careful with that Axe, E.U. Gene,” and when we get to the release date, I’ll spill the beans on its special feature.

With that, I think it’s time for Jack Stack’s BBQ (Mark Stallings’ favorite place) with my sweetie.

What I’m Listening To

Been a good day of music at Brewbakers. Also a bunch of the regulars. Something about seeing the same faces. There aren’t many theme songs like that of Cheers that get the human condition quite so well.

Quote of the Week
Today, in 1964, Alvin York died. This is a fairly famous quote, but I love it.
I had orders to report to Brigadier General Lindsey, and he said to me, “Well, York, I hear you have captured the whole damned German army.” And I told him I only had 132.
― Alvin York.
Cool Stuff In Eldros Legacy

The final edits for Khyven the Unkillable by Todd Fahnestock are in process and we’ll be showing of the amazing cover art by Rashed AlAkroka soon.

New Mythology Works in Progress
Current open anthology calls:

I’m currently working on The House Between Worlds, the fourth in Jon R. Osborne’s Milesian Accords series. This is going very quickly because Jon’s a great writer.

Also, as mentioned, I sent off the first Talons & Talismans to the editor. You can expect the cover reveal for that in next week or so. The cover is by Jake Caleb, who did the great covers for When Valor Must Hold and Songs of Valor.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • The Door Into Winter (1,043)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • SOTI (7,948) (Formerly MON)

Upcoming Events

  • FactoryCon, 22-24 October, Coinjock, NC
    Details in the CKP – Factory Floor on Facebook.
  • 20BooksTo50K, 8-12 November, Las Vegas, NV
    http://20booksvegas.com/

New Releases

This week we have China Mike, the second in Paul Piatt’s ISMC series. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DJQH2N9.

Tracked ItemsToday’s Weight: 334.8

Updated Word Count: 184,964

Shijuren Wiki: 767 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

Author of the Shijuren-series of novels

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Rob’s Update: The Natural Road

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Week 33 of 2021

Greetings all

The first thing I want to announce is… Wait for it… An Announcement!!!

Yes, I’ll be making a special announcement next week. It’s the soooper-seekrit project I’ve been working on and we’re ready to talk about it.

Having announced the announcement, let’s talk about a good week of editing with a little writing.

All of the first Talons & Talismans anthology is out to the authors and most are back and in the can. The second anthology is mostly done and back to the authors. By the end of this weekend, I suspect we’ll be down to mostly fiddly bits.

On the editing side, I’m turning to The House Between Worlds next. This is the fourth book in Jon Osborne’s great Milesian Accords series. Target release date is October.

Writing wise there’s been some work on a short story and a few words on The Door Into Winter. Not much, thought, as the editing/publishing side of thing has taken precedence for about a month.

Still, it all counts and thus was a very productive week here.

What I’m Listening To

Not much. I’ve been working in the office with my sweetie today as she gets one of her treasured work from home days, so we didn’t play music or anything.

Quote of the Week
I am a big believer in this week’s quote.
“We must trust to nothing but facts: These are presented to us by Nature, and cannot deceive. We ought, in every instance, to submit our reasoning to the test of experiment, and never to search for truth but by the natural road of experiment and observation.”
― Antoine Lavoisier, Elements of Chemistry
New Mythology Works in Progress
Current open anthology calls:

I’m currently working on the last bits of Talons & Talismans and turning to Jon Osborne’s The House Between Worlds.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • The Door Into Winter (242)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • MON (6226)

Upcoming Events

  • Gulf Wars, 2-10 October, Lumberton, MS
    www.gulfwars.org
  • FactoryCon, 22-24 October, Coinjock, NC
    Details in the CKP – Factory Floor on Facebook.
  • 20BooksTo50K, 8-12 November, Las Vegas, NV
    http://20booksvegas.com/

New Releases

Jim Cartwright is back! One of my favorite characters in the 4HU. Cartwright’s Cavaliers: Descent is now available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CYL66KT.

Craig Martelle is publishing an anthology with a bunch of great writers including CKP’s Kacey Ezell, Paul Piatt, and the big boss, Chris Kennedy. It’s called The Expanding Universe 7: An Intergalactic Adventure Anthology and you can find the preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09C114GTG. I should point out it’s only $3.99 for those who preorder.

Tracked ItemsToday’s Weight: 335.2

Updated Word Count: 184,064

Shijuren Wiki: 767 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

Author of the Shijuren-series of novels

Weekly Update Archive

If you think you received this email incorrectly or wish to be unsubscribed, please send an email to shijuren-owner@robhowell.org

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Rob’s Update: At Cooper’s Lake Campground

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Week 29 of 2021

Greetings all

Sorry for being late this week. I arrived in Pennsylvania later than anticipated on Wednesday, so I couldn’t post my update early. And then yesterday and Thursday were devoted to setting up my booth and camp here at Armistice.

Armistice is being held at Cooper’s Lake Campground where Pennsic has been held since the early 70s. They have developed this to an really nice place to relax in many ways, even if you’re not camping here for an event. The changes in the 20 years or so I’ve been coming here are truly astounding.

I knew this spot of the world was important to me but not how much until I got here to check in. In the line, a old friend of mine, who happens to be one of the people who attended the first SCA event ever in 1966, came up and gave me a hug. Not an abnormal way we greet each other but I nearly cried.

It is incredibly good to be home again.

Anyway, this will be a fantastic week for me. I’m set up with a little office as part of my booth, so I essentially have full functionality to write as if I was at Brewbaker’s or something like that at home. If people aren’t here, I get to write. In the past, this has been a fruitful week and I expect no different.

I will be finishing a short story today and tomorrow for a fun little anthology. Today is also the deadline for stories for Talons & Talismans, and I’m excited with what’s come in. You’re going to love these.

Given the schedule, I anticipate providing you all a full list of participants in the anthologies on the 15th or so. While I have no limitations on my writing, there are some limitations on getting out to print stuff. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m going to have to give a number of finalists a thorough, proper read through. I already know it’s going to be tough because there’s some great stuff.

With that, it’s time to start selling.

What I’m Listening To

People chatting and enjoying the fantastic weather so far at Armistice.

Quote of the Week

Dusty Hill of ZZ Top passed away this week. Some of ZZ Top’s music, especially the earlier stuff, is truly amazing. Today’s quote is from a song where Dusty was the singer.

I been bad, I been good,
Dallas, Texas, Hollywood.
I ain’t askin’ for much.
I said, Lord, take me downtown,
I’m just lookin’ for some tush.
― Dusty Hill, ZZ Top, Tush

New Mythology Works in Progress

Current open anthology calls:

I’m currently working on collecting all the stories together so I can process Tolons & Talismans.

Rob’s Works in Progress

  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • CSC (1,283)
  • MON (829)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

And Break It Not by Robert E. Hampson and Sandra Medlock is the newest 4HU title. The return of the Wrogul! You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BBZY6GS.

We have not one but two new series in the CKP world.

First is book one of the Abner Fortis, ISMC series: Cherry Drop by P.A. Piatt. This you can get here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B14VBK2.

Next is book one of the The Lunar Free State series by John E. Siers, entitled The Moon and Beyond. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097QMN7PJ.

Today’s Weight: Will update in two weeks

Updated Word Count: Will update in two weeks

Shijuren Wiki: Will update in two weeks

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

If you think you received this email incorrectly or wish to be unsubscribed, please send an email to shijuren-owner@robhowell.org