Tag Archives: Pennsic

Rob’s Update: At the War

Week 31 of 2023

Greetings all

I’m at Pennsic! The shop is set up and I’ve been selling. Going to be a fascinating year as this is Pennsic 50.

I had a great week. Obviously, it’s been a week or so since A Lake Most Deep, book 1 of the Firehall Sagas, came out. Thanks to all who helped, including especially Larry Correia, for contributing to such a great release.

You can get it here, by the way: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

It was a bit challenging to keep abreast of comments and other things on social media as I literally got on the road on release day. However, it meant that at stops I had the pleasant task of checking and answering. Again, thanks very much.

The Eyes of a Doll
The Eyes of a Doll

Of course, at New Mythology, we set things up so we put out a bunch of books in a series in quick succession, so today I’m giving you the cover reveal for book 2, The Eyes of a Doll, which comes out on August 29th.

Jake has done a great job again on this cover and I’m honored to get to work with him.

As mentioned, I left for Pennsic last week and was setting up Friday afternoon. For a variety of reasons, setup this year was particularly hard and complicated. I didn’t really recover until yesterday morning, in fact, though part of that was the effort to run and clean up my yearly bardic circle.

However, I’m here at the shop now, fully operational and selling like a madman.

As you can see, I have books, including more on the shelf perpendicular to the main table, pottery from Lobster Rose pottery, looms, yarn, and even some wooden folding chairs.

A goodly selection, if I do say so myself.

I’ve gotten a bunch of editing done on Farewell, My Ugly, plus some quasi-outlining I hope to write tomorrow during the slow times. Overall, I’ve made good progress on the book given the challenges, and I’m excited how it’s going.

And in fact, I’m going to throw some words on the page now.

What I’m Listening To

Conversations in the merchant area as I sit here inside my tent.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Ernie Pyle!

“I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud-rain-frost-and-wind boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities. And in the end they are the guys that wars can’t be won without.”
– Ernie Pyle

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 am a king      Conquering all before me

Latest Snippet: Chapter 2 of A Lake Most Deep

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)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (77,112)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

Your release this week is Tinaree: Forged in Crucible by Nic Plume. This is book 2 in her Shadows of Peace series and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CCTC4BYB.

Also, Chris has a variety of special announcements this week on his mailing list, too many for me to list here. There are books on sale, new audiobooks, and he needs launch team readers. Go here to become a part of his email list: chriskennedypublishing.com/newsletter/.

Side note, I could also use more launch team readers, so send me an email at rob@chriskennedypublishing.com to get added to the list.

And, of course, A Lake Most Deep, book 1 of the Firehall Sagas is live. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 352.0

Updated Word Count: 207,866

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

Rob’s Update: It’s Alive!

Week 30 of 2023

Greetings all

A Lake Most Deep is live and has had a great week already. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

Achrida
Achrida

By the way, this is the first in the books of the Firehall Sagas, which has its own home page at: https://firehallsagas.com. There’s all sorts of things there including descriptions of people, places, and things in the world of Eard.

It also has the maps! Here’s the new map to Achrida, the city where all the action in A Lake Most Deep happens. Click for the bigger version.

I had a great week talking about it too. Thanks to HP Holo for having me on her show on Saturday. You can watch the video here: facebook.com/rhodri2112/videos/142667502188632.

Then, I was on Inside CKP with Jeremy Comeaux on Monday. Watch this one here: youtube.com/watch?v=YQc3FEO3LBo.

What an amazing release week and thanks to a huge list of people for helping make it awesome.

But wait, there’s more news about A Lake Most Deep! It’s part of this month’s book giveaway headed by Dave Butler. It’s even the headline book (never mind they’re listed in alphabetical order). Check out this page for the complete list: davidjohnbutler.com/giveaways/july-2023-six-fantasy-books-giveaway/.

To explain, there will be 5 winners chosen this weekend from all who sign up and each will get 6 books, physical, signed copies, from the ones listed there. That’s like $100 value, so it’s well worth taking the time to sign up.

Again, that’s davidjohnbutler.com/giveaways/july-2023-six-fantasy-books-giveaway/.

Overall, this has just been a fantastic week. I made progress on a number of projects, including Farewell, My Ugly. I also had a couple of really cool things happen early in the week that I can’t tell you about yet, but are awesome. Finally, I’m typing this update in Grove City, PA, which consistent readers will recognize as my normal stopping point the night before Pennsic.

And what a Pennsic this promises to be as it’s Pennsic 50. I’ve been about 20 times now, and it is truly a home. Friends I see once a year, great bardic circles, stories of old and new ones getting made, it’s just something special.

Best of all, Pennsics have become productive, what with the way I have my shop set up and the ability to work whenever there’s no customers. Either I’m getting words on the page or selling something. It’s works out well.

I’ll get you updates while I’m there, but for now, I’m off to get a good night’s sleep. I’m going to need it.

What I’m Listening To

Not much. In the hotel room relaxing after a long and moderately arduous trip.

Quote of the Week

Happy birthday to Gary Gygax. Thanks for bringing D&D into the world, my life is so much better for that. Here’s a great quote that actually describes my writing style too.

The worthy GM never purposely kills players’ PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own.

– Gary Gygax

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 am a king      Conquering all before me

Latest Snippet: Chapter 1of A Lake Most Deep

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)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (77,112)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (3,405)

Upcoming Events

New Releases

More Salvage Title awesomeness from Nick Steverson and Melissa Olthoff! Privateers & Pandemonium is live and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CC9TGLJS.

Your pre-release this week is Tinaree: Forged in Crucible by Nic Plume. This is book 2 in her Shadows of Peace series and you can get it here: amazon.com/dp/product/B0CCTC4BYB.

And, of course, A Lake Most Deep, book 1 of the Firehall Sagas is live. You can get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 352.0

Updated Word Count: 207,132

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

Rob’s Update: Recovering from Madness

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

Rob’s Update: Home at Cooper’s Lake

Week 32 of 2022

Greetings all

Pennsic 2022
Pennsic 2022

I’m home! Well, my two week summer home, at least. Here’s a picture of my shop with my friend Mar for scale (not for sale, unless you make a really good offer).

I’m so happy to be here. I get to see friends I haven’t seen in 3 years or more. I’ve sung songs, laughed, cried, and sold books. Exactly what I’d hoped. In fact, better than I hoped, at least in terms of sales to this point in the event.

I can even enjoy it when it rains, as it doing right now. I’m snug in my tent enjoying the sound of raindrops on canvas, which is very soothing.

I’ve also gotten some writing done, as you’ll see some progress in a number of things. My setup is designed for me to get words on the page when there are no customers to sell to. However, since there are customers, I can’t always write in large chunks. I have 3 novels I need to make progress on so I’ve got them all open to get a sentence here, a paragraph there. Whatever comes to mind.

And, of course, deal with all the publisher stuff. Embers & Ash went out to the ARC readers today. That comes out on August 16th, right after I get home from Pennsic. It’s a great story with coming-of-age parts, gothic horror hints, and a giant, flying riding bats!

The novels I’m working on are two you’d expect, Farewell, My Ugly and Sowing Spring’s Wrath, but next summer I need to finish my Foresters trilogy so I’m throwing a few words at The Feasting of Vengeance as well.

What I’m Listening To

The pitter-patter of rain on canvas.

Quote of the Week

As I’m writing Sowing Spring’s Wrath on the heels of The Door Into Winter, this Shelley verse seems apt, especially since it’s his birthday.

“And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”

– Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Sensitive Plant

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.

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 Pain Bearer, September’s Eldros Legacy release by Kendra Merritt.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (2,113) (Tempted to delete a word here)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (20,720)
  • Rick Blaine (8,845)
  • CB (8,418)
  • The Feasting of Vengeance (2,838)
Upcoming Events
  • Pennsic, 29 July – 14 August, Cooper’s Lake Campground, PA, pennsicwar.org/
  • FenCon, 16-18 September, Irving, TX, fencon.org/
New Releases

Focus on the Wind, the 3rd in Mike Wyant’s Anisian Convergence series is out this week. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B7S6F8VH

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 323.0

Updated Word Count: 147,818

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 Bastille Day

Week 29 of 2022

Greetings all

The Forgotten King
The Forgotten King

Book release weeks are always great, and this week we have Mark Stallings’ The Forgotten King. It’s got dragons, Delvers, and dungeon crawls and is great swords and sorcery fun. Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B67ML6H2.

Marie Whittaker and I spent much of last week editing Embers & Ash, which comes out on the 16th of August. It’s a great coming-of-age story.

I spent time working over Farewell, My Ugly. Not a great week for word count, but clearing some things up. Standard for this part in the process.

Next week, I’ll be finally turning my focus back to Sowing Spring’s Wrath, the sequel to The Door Into Winter. I’ve had some challenges getting it laid out in my head, but I think those are going away. It’s been percolating in the back of my mind exactly where I want to end and what kind of challenges I want to have, and sometimes that takes working on something else to let it grow on its own.

I’m also ramping up for the trip to Pennsic. This will be my first year having my own booth at a Pennsic. I had one for Armistice last year, of course, and that went great. I’m curious how it’ll go with five times the number of people.

With that, I need to go clean up a number of small tasks that have been waiting on my attention. Have a great week everyone.

What I’m Listening To

The Flowers of Bermuda, which was originally done by Stan Rogers, but in this case performed by Heather Dale. The song is great, one of Stan’s best, in my opinion, and Heather has a fantastic voice. If you haven’t checked either of these folk out, you should absolutely look into them.

Of course, knowing what I know of my subscriber list, I daresay that most of you have at least some of their music on your playlists.

Quote of the Week

I mean, seriously, what else could today’s quote be?

And we’re marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Sing, o choirs of cacophony
The king has kneeled, to let his kingdom rise.
– Rush, Bastille Day

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.

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+.

Mark Stallings’ The Forgotten King is live! Get it here: amazon.com/dp/B0B67ML6H2.

This makes six! Eldros Legacy novels.

Book seven, Embers & Ash by Marie Whittaker comes out on the 16th of August. We’re releasing it on the 3rd Tuesday, not the 2nd, because I’ll be at Pennsic for the first half of August.

By the way, Marie’s novel will unveil the last of the five continents. We are so excited to get all of them up and going.

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 a variety of projects for NMP, not just Eldros Legacy but new stuff. Exciting times.

Rob’s Works in Progress
  • Sowing Spring’s Wrath (xx)
  • Farewell, My Ugly (14,979)
  • 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

We have a new space marine series at CKP, this one by William S. Frisbee, Jr. It’s entitled Gods of War, and it is book one of The Last Marines. Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5WJB2MY.

Also this week is The Forgotten King by Mark Stallings. It’s done really well so far. Find out why here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B67ML6H2.

Tracked Items

Today’s Weight: 324.2

Updated Word Count: 145,251

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

Armistice AAR

Greetings all

I am home safely from a fantastic trip to Armistice. I’m so glad I went.

For those who aren’t aware, Armistice was a replacement event for the largest SCA event around, Pennsic. It was held at the same site as Pennsic, Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock, PA. There were about 1450 attendees where Pennsic has about 10,000. Pennsic is an official SCA event run in partnership with the campground.

First, the weather was awesome. Best weather I’ve ever seen at events at this time. We had one day with a little rain. The rest were in 70s/low 80s. Cool at night. The final Saturday was a little warm and humid, but still better than many days I’ve enjoyed at Cooper’s Lake.

From a work standpoint, it was an unqualified success.

It has been my experience that the first time a particular group has an event after things got started, I saw less traffic but had a higher hit rate. This was true for Armistice. Now, of course I’d see less traffic with about 1/7th  the attendance, but the hit rate was solid for sales. In fact, I sold more this year than I’ve sold at any Pennsic.

I was lucky in that a couple of my regulars from previous Pennsics were there and they both bought a bunch, but even so I sold more than I have in the past.

I also managed to get a short story out the door, make progress on another short story, and make progress on the final rush of stories for the upcoming Talons & Talismans anthologies.

I was an idiot for scheduling the deadline *during* this event, by the way, but I muddled through. I had less time for writing, however, so I didn’t reach my overall writing goals. As mentioned, though, I was moderately productive in this too.

One big thing is that I now have a traditional shop location at Pennsic. It’s between Calontir Trim and Gaukler Medieval Wares across from Windrose Armory. This is, in many ways, the ideal spot for me. Makes me excited to go back next year.

From a personal standpoint, I had a great time. In fact, this will go down as one of the best medieval events I’ve attended. I attribute this in part to everyone’s desire to have fun.

This may sound odd, but it is the case that some people participate in things in part so they can be doomsayers. This tendency has, not surprisingly, been in full force of late. Nobody at Armistice was unaware of the world’s challenges, but the naysayers didn’t come. I think everyone went there with the intent to be cheerful and spread that cheer.

So many smiles. So much friendship, even amongst people who hadn’t met before. The friends I see once or twice a year are my favorite part of Pennsic, and while I missed a bunch who weren’t there, I had more than a few who were. Plus, I got to know some people I hadn’t really talked to before.

I also discovered just how important Pennsic is to me. It’s been my summer home for over 20 years now. I knew I missed it last year, but not how much. I discovered the truth when I got a hug from a buddy at Gate, and I almost broke down crying then and there.

So good to be home. A refrain repeated by many throughout the week.

I spent a lot of time at the campsite hosted by Elizabeth Silverloc where High Rafters normally camps. This was the biggest concentration of friends at the event, plus there were bardic circles several nights. Exactly my thing.

Another positive thing is that my attempts to eat and drink wisely went pretty well. I basically held my weight during the event. Since it’s become clear that a big challenge for my weight are my trips to events and cons.

I went with the plan to drink primarily low-carb IPAs. There are several good ones out there. My two favorites are Slightly Mighty and the Lagunitas Daytime. The latter is dryer and reminiscent of Schlafly’s APA, one of my favorites. I also had the Sweetwater option, which was solid, but not great like the other two.

Anyway, these allowed me to essentially drink as much as I wanted to without hammering all the carbs and getting blasted. They aren’t my all-time favorite IPAs, but certainly more than tasty enough. Since I drink sparingly anymore unless I’m at events and cons, their low ABV helps me not be stupid. Ideal all around, in my mind.

My only disappointment was that I didn’t really party as much as I’d hoped. I should have opened the shop later and let myself roam a bit more. I wanted to meet people I’d not seen before, and I didn’t do much of that.

Basically, I had a great time. It is the case that I love selling/writing during the day with the opportunity to spend time with friends in a medieval setting. It’s like the ideal work day for me.

I’m ready to go back.

 

Rob’s Update: Come and Be Welcome

Week 31 of 2020

Greetings all

If things had gone to plan, I would have spent Monday evening trying to live up to the lyrics of the song Come and Be Welcome by Emer nic Aiden. I’d have hosted my yearly bardic circle at Pennsic, then taken my hungover self to the trim shop and done whatever setup we’d needed.

I’d have spent this week and next talking to people about my books and finishing None Call Me Mother. It’s the best workplace around, actually. I get to work, be really productive, and then afterwards I get to go sing and hang out with great people I only see this time of the year.

Ah, well. Time for me to focus on the things I can change, which has been my general philosophy for quite some time.

Finishing None Call Me Mother is something I can change. Emer has been one of those waiting patiently for me to finish it. I’ll have a draft to the editor by end of next week. Lots of little issues smoothed this week and it’s almost there.

I can also look ahead to future projects. Next big WIP will be the sequel to The Feeding of Sorrows.

Even more exciting to me is the upcoming anthology I’m editing for Chris Kennedy. It’s the sequel anthology to When Valor Must Hold and I am incredibly amazed at the authors who’ve signed up to be a part of it. David Butler, Larry Correia, David Weber, and Sarah Hoyt are all in, and there are some big names still to announce.

I am incredibly honored they all decided to join in and appreciate Chris Kennedy giving me the opportunity.

I look forward also to all the other writers who submit for the FantaSci prize. The top four will be in the anthology, with one getting chosen by the con as the best.

And with that, it’s time to go bring my sweetie some ice cream. Have a great day.

What I’m Listening To

Basil Poledouris’s excellent Conan soundtrack…. again. It’s one of the best things to listen to while writing fantasy.

Quote of the Week

“Come from the forest and sit ’round the fire
Come from the fields and enter our hall
Come drink from the guest-cup
Come join in our circle
Come and be welcome ye bards one and all”
– Emer nic Aiden

News and Works in Progress

  • None Call Me Mother (136,935)
  • CB (8,418)
  • AOOE (1,030)
  • Cynewulf (8,642)
  • Gato (2,312)

Recent Blog Posts and Wiki Additions

Upcoming Events

New Releases

This week Ian Malone releases the third of his Mako Saga, called At Circle’s End. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DTYGTW2

Today’s Weight: 369.6

Updated Word Count: 82,811

Shijuren Wiki: 66 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

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

Rob’s Update: 2020 Visions

Greetings all

Last week, I did a post on just how good 2019 was for me. You can find it here: https://robhowell.org/blog/?p=1912. My conclusion? 2019 was my best year ever.

2020 will be better.

Let’s start with None Call Me Mother. I should have that to my editor within a few weeks. I know it’s been slow. I wanted to have this done in 2018, much less last year. Stuff happened and I apologize. But it’s coming and it’s good.

What will happen in Shijuren after that?

Glad you asked.

This fall I’ll be working on the next Edward novel. I don’t have a working title yet, but it’ll be a bit of an homage to Dick Francis. There’s trouble at Achrida’s Hippodrome and it might hurt horse-racing across the entire Empire of Makhaira if Edward can’t figure it out.

Then, I’ll start another trilogy in Shijuren with different characters based in Amaranth. I’ve said a number of times that chickens are coming home to roost all across Shijuren, and this will tell of roostings in the south.

My plan is to write one Shijuren novel a year, alternating between an Edward novel and whatever other series I’m working on at the time, at least for now. It may end up being one Edward and two series novels, but we’ll see.

I also plan on writing short stories set in the universe. In fact, the first is already written and I’ll get to that in a moment. I’m really enjoying writing short stories in general, and whenever I get a chance to write one in Shijuren, I will.

But wait, there’s more. I’m making progress on creating an OGL d20 based system set in Shijuren. The first embryonic concepts of Shijuren started rolling around my head 25 years ago as a place for great D&D adventures. In many ways, it’s exceeded my expectation in that aspect alone.

The system I have in mind aims to streamline game play with a cool character creation system that allows players to mold characters to fit their own playing style.

It also aims to encourage players to try stupid but fun stuff that isn’t necessarily defined in the rules. Whether it’s trying a crazy tactic, using a skill in an unorthodox manner, or using magic in a weird way to save the day, it’ll be designed to give DMs guidelines to react to players making stuff up on the fly.

The biggest challenge I’ve faced in this so far has been how to mold my magic system into a usable system for a game. It’s a great magic system from a writing perspective, but it hadn’t been obvious how to translate it to gaming. However, I’ve finally come up with what I think is a really cool plan that ought to be a lot of fun.

Creating a game system is a big project, even with many of the basics already built in from the OGL side of things. I’m blessed to have some skilled and talented friends who will be helping along the way. I’ll tell you all more about them later.

I don’t have a specific timeline for getting this game published, but at some point, hopefully in 2020, I’ll be at cons running some playtest adventures as well as starting a home group.

What you can expect is periodic updates. I might even add a category in my Weekly Updates related to game concepts and ideas.

As you can see, though, Shijuren is going to grow a ton in the next few years. Thanks for coming along.

Of course, I’ve got a bunch more planned for 2020 than just Shijuren, including The Four Horsemen Universe. After I finish None Call Me Mother, my long form work in progress will be the sequel to The Feeding of Sorrows.

I have lots of stuff to play with in here.

  • What are Edmonds and Tahnerif going to do?
  • I promised Jackson a platoon. What’s going to happen to his momma’s boy?
  • Kiial will definitely have more to say about his uncle as his time in the Foresters continues.
  • Speaking of the uncle, Tlanit and Rick Blaine are going to work at peeling away some of the layers.

Going to be fun.

I’m actually going to describe some of this in a short story in another Four Horsemen anthology coming out in 2020. Right now, I’m playing with a number of ideas, but rest assured, there’s more happening with the Foresters.

Speaking of short stories, I’ll be contributing to the second We Dare, anthology. The story I’m working on will be a prequel to “The Chaos of Well-Seeming Forms,” my story in the first anthology. We might just find out why the Allardecks and Fieldings hate each other. This will also be fun, as I’ll be collaborating for the first time. Yvonne Jacobs is already helping me plan the story.

I intend to do four or five short stories for anthologies each year, so don’t be surprised if I announce a couple more later in the year. I’ve been asked to be a part of some others already, but I’m still trying to balance my writing schedule.

That doesn’t include, by the way, the return of Nick Patara, PI. I’ve enjoyed the response and I had a great time writing it. I also enjoyed being able to give back to you guys.

The next big news comes from a comment above, I mentioned that I’ve submitted a Shijuren story to an anthology already.

And this one is special.

Chris Kennedy gave me the opportunity to create a anthology of fantasy stories. It will be entitled When Valor Must Hold.

The writing prompt I gave the authors was the opening of Conan the Barbarian, where Akira the Wizard concludes, “Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!”

The authors have given me what I wanted: stories with adventures and action across a really broad set of fantasy sub-genres. It’s a great mix and I think you’ll like it a lot. Heroic deeds done by characters who might not start as heroes but end up in that category. The characters all face things to test their valor and we shall see how their valor holds.

The anticipated release date is 20 March, which is the Friday of FantaSci. We plan to have a great release party there and I hope to celebrate with a bunch of you.

This brings me to my plans for Howell’s Howls this year. I really enjoyed my system of having a blog post Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Rob’s Updates will continue on Fridays. I’m going to tweak the format a bit, like including game notes each week, but it’ll continue much the same.

I’m also going to continue with the interviews. I just finished re-writing the questions I send out, so you’ll see some new interviews by people who I’ve already interviewed. I’m going to start the year with interviews of authors in When Valor Must Hold, and run those interviews as long as it takes.

Hit me up if you’re a creator of any type, and I’ll send you the questions and get you into the queue. I really enjoy doing these and hope to be more proactive about making sure I have an interview ready to go each week.

That brings us to Mondays. Mag Reviews take a ton of time, too much for just a regular blog post. I’m going to replace them with Rob’s Ramblings, which will be a catchall thing for whatever interests me. including reviews of movies and albums, snippets, poems, sports topics, or whatever. This week, it was my ShadowCon AAR. One post you can expect in March is an AAR about creating When Valor Must Hold. It’s already taught me a bunch.

This does not mean Mag Reviews will go away. They take too long as a blog post, but there’s a still a place for them and I’m playing with some ideas.

Overall, my online presence will continue as it has been. In September, I stopped reading my Facebook News Feed. This was a great decision on my part. I miss out on a number of things, but that News Feed brought me down.

I check my Facebook Notifications consistently, though, and that’s been enough. If you want me to see something, please tag me and I’ll check it out. Otherwise, I’m almost never going to see anything.

I originally planned to limit my Facebook posts to business-related things, but I think I’ll start posting about the same frequency I did prior to last September. I’ve missed chatting with people about a variety of fun things and while I’ll never go back to reading the News Feed, I’ll get back to posting fun things along with my professional stuff.

The same is basically true on Twitter. I have always limited my Twitter feed to focus on some excellent sports bloggers and other interests like that, along with professional stuff. I will continue to look at those sorts of things, so if you want me to see something, you better tag me.

I’ve played around with MeWe, but the interface has yet to click with me. I’ll keep trying though. I’ll also keep dabbling in Instagram. This might expand with some of the other things I’ve got going on. I’ll also keep my eyes open for better social media options.

My appearance schedule in 2020 is going to be amazing. The biggest news is, of course, I got accepted as an Attending Professional at DragonCon this year. What an amazing honor. I will do my best to reward them for giving me the chance.

I also received word this weekend that I’ve been approved as a vendor at Dagorhir’s Ragnarok XXXV in June. This is a major LARPing event and I am excited to meet a bunch of people and introduce Shijuren to them.

I’ll be at LibertyCon again. None of what’s happened above would be possible without the lessons and experiences I’ve had at LibertyCons past. It’s really pushed me along and I’m incredibly grateful to Brandy and her peeps.

The expansion of Drix’s shop at Pennsic last year went well, and it’ll be even better this year. We’ve had a great time there and sales keep inching up there for me.

As I mentioned, we hope to have a great release party for When Valor Must Hold at FantaSci. I picked FantaSci over Gulf Wars, Planet Comicon in Kansas City, and a bunch of other events on the weekend of 20 March. Why did everything have to be then? In any case, even without the release party, I would go to FantaSci. It’s already a great con.

My next event is ChattaCon in a few weeks. It’ll be a blast, in part because Lani Brooks puts me on a bunch of panels.

Let’s see, do I have my yearly goals covered in 2020?

  • 2-3 novels: Check. I hope to have two by September and be working on the Edward novel in the fall.
  • 4-5 short stories (plus Nick Patara): I have one in the can, two planned, and some opportunities to juggle. I can’t say this is fully laid out, but I anticipate no real problems.
  • 3 blog posts per week: Mag Reviews made that really challenging, and I expect to be more consistent here. I won’t stress too much if I miss out on one of the weekly standards, but it’s a reasonable, feasible schedule
  • Figure out a way to make Mag Reviews work: I’m playing around with this. Probably won’t happen for a while, but there’s value here.
  • Make progress on the RPG: Meetings are scheduled and I anticipate consistent activity on this front. Again, I don’t have a realistic timeline, just a plan to turn it from vaporware into something real.
  • Create a smart travel schedule: Spring is fairly light, and will be productive from a writing standpoint. Summer will be go go go and I’ll have many miles on the road. Fall will be light, much like spring. This past fall, I didn’t go to any cons after September. I will add a con or two because I think more than three months is too much of a break from going to a con.
  • Take care of myself: I’m starting with being more conscious of things, as shown by pacing my travel schedule better. I’m also going to adjust my summer production expectations to match reality. Finally, I’m going to schedule some down time/vacation/retreat type things. No details yet, but they’ll be there.
  • Get back to fighting: This includes working out and losing weight. I’ve a helm on order and I can’t really fight until it gets here, but I can work out. I’ll have a plan for that soon.

I look at these goals and am getting even more excited. None of them seem outlandish and if I complete them, it’ll make 2020 amazing.

Now that I have a plan, I think I’ll watch the Blues and play a game for a while. Then, tomorrow, write a chapter or two in None Call Me Mother.

It’s going to be a great 2020.

 

 

 

Rob’s Update: 2019 in Review

Greetings all

2019 was my best year ever. Thanks to all the readers who supported my writing throughout the year. It couldn’t have happened without you.

Things I published in 2019:

I’m incredibly pleased at the success of these stories. Four of those, including all 3 Phases of Mars anthologies and The Feeding of Sorrows, earned at least one orange tag.

An orange tag on Amazon signifies it’s a bestseller. Now I can add “Amazon Bestselling Author” to my bio. That’s pretty darn awesome.

I’m also pleased that I still love all six of these tales. I am never pleased with the quality of writing in any of my past stories, because with each new one I get better. However, the tales are all good. I know this because I still cry at the end of each one.

If I don’t get emotional reading my stuff, I can’t expect you to do so either. I still get emotional on all of them.

The biggest negative of 2019 is that I didn’t get None Call Me Mother published. I had even hoped to make progress on Edward 4, but that was always only a faint hope.

Despite that, I’m not displeased with my writing output. I’m up to 93k on None Call Me Mother, so it’s getting close. I chose to write The Feeding of Sorrows instead and it was a great decision.

I also chose to follow Bill Fawcett’s advice. He said to me at LibertyCon in 2018 that I should write more short stories. I’d be an idiot if I didn’t pay attention to him. I may yet be an idiot, but not about this.

My goal is two or three novels a year and four or more short stories. I came really close if I count the words I actually wrote in 2019. I wrote about 75k of The Feeding of Sorrows and about 20k towards its sequel. I wrote about 80k in None Call Me Mother in 2019. I also worked on a couple of special projects I’ll announce when I post my look ahead to 2020. All told, I submitted six short stories (one yet to come), and wrote about 175k of long fiction. 230k or so of fiction is not shabby.

I did this despite not taking care of myself. Following Pennsic, I spent 5-6 weeks in a funk. This was driven initially by fatigue, because I traveled a ton this past summer. Then my brain weasels got involved, chastising me for not being productive, and that spiraled down.

Fortunately, I recovered in time to complete all of the items I had promised to various editors. Had I paid attention to myself, though, I believe I would have finished None Call Me Mother. Ah, well.

I have adjustments planned for 2020. One challenge of being self-employed is that I have to play mental games with myself to keep me from doing stupid stuff, like losing those 5-6 weeks.

I went to a number of fantastic events in 2019. This was my first year as a vendor on my own at Gulf Wars. Drix and I also expanded our booth at Pennsic, and this is exciting. LibertyCon was wonderful and emotional. FantaSci went great, not great for a first time con, but great. So great I’m choosing it over Gulf Wars and Planet Comicon in 2020.

I did all these things while also getting the opportunity to serve as Their Majesty Calontir’s herald in the first half of the year. I love doing that job. Thanks to Donnghal and Catalina for giving me that opportunity. And yes, you totally got me.

My sweetie and I did a bunch of work to the house. We replaced around 1000 sq. ft. of carpet with bamboo. I love this stuff. Nice on my feet and pretty. We also started a new additional closet in the master suite, which had a ton of useless inefficient space.

The closest thing to a true negative are my tracked items, I spun my wheels a bit. I gained a little weight, though I’ve made it through most of the holidays without gaining much extra. My tracked word count, which includes only those things I actually released to the editor or on my blog, would have exceeded my goal had I managed to get None Call Me Mother to my editor, but of course will fall short in its actual number.

My wiki suffered a hacking attack in the spring. I have recovered most of the lost things, but I plan on redoing most entries. I learned a ton working on the 4HU wiki for nearly a year that I intend on incorporating. I’ll talk about that in my 2020 post.

These are my end results. I’ll work on improving them all in 2020.

Today’s Weight: 395.2

Updated Word Count: 146,912

Shijuren Wiki: 874 entries

I have so many people to thank. I’m going to take a crack at it, but will undoubtedly forget some people. But here’s what I can think of right now with a cat demanding petsies.

Mom, sweetie, and proto-incipient step-daughter come first. Living with a writer ain’t easy.

Chris Kennedy gave me a bunch of opportunities. I can’t thank him enough. James L. Young let me write in all 3 Phases of Mars, and those are good stories. Jamie Ibson let me break his soul in We Dare. Mark Wandrey kept encouraging me, especially his help in the 4HU. Kevin Ikenberry helped a ton with the Peacemaker aspects of my 4HU stuff. Frankly, let’s just thank all of the crew that Chris has gathered about him. They’re all making me better.

Kellie Hultgren did a great job editing my personal stuff and teaching me how to become a better writer. The staff at Brewbakers put up with me, and I rewarded them with tuckering it in “Silent Knight.”

Drix helped me grow my SCA sales presence. Tons of people encouraged me. One even allowed me to stay at her family’s lake house for a week of writing and solitude. I need to schedule this sort of thing once or twice a year.

Despite not getting None Call Me Mother out and spinning my wheels a bit, 2019 was definitely my best year so far. And it’s not close.

I’m growing leaps and bounds as a writer. My most recent project has helped me turn things I knew instinctively into things I understand. This is already showing up in None Call Me Mother and in “Silent Knight,” not to mention my earlier growth in 2019.

2019 was my best year.

2020 will be better. Lot’s better. We’re building something here and I will tell you all about what’s coming in a few days.

For now, though. Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate it.

Happy New Year!

Rob Howell

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

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

Pennsic 2019 AAR

Greetings all

I made it home from Pennsic yesterday afternoon. With the help of the proto-incipient step-daughter, my car was empty by 5pm. Go us!

Now I’m at Brewbaker’s. As a regular here I basically sit down and they simply ask if I want the usual, which is iced tea and a really good southwestern salad to which I add more jalapenos and avocado.

“Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came”

That’s true for Pennsic as well as Brewbaker’s. In many ways, Pennsic is just my normal neighborhood bar where I’m a regular. In the parlance of the event, I’m just on my 50-week town run.

For the last 8 years or so, I’ve hosted a first Monday of Pennsic bardic circle. I didn’t do a great job of promoting the event this year, but I still got about 80 all told. My high is apparently something around 125. This year, we sang until about 3:45am. This is a record, by not by much. We’ve been after 3:00am several times.

Both things are actually shocking to me. I’m astounded that something I suggested as basically a chance to get a few people singing has turned into a Pennsic fixture.

I’d like to take a moment and thank all the people who routinely camp in Calontir on that first Monday. They’ve put up with this thing, enjoyed it (mostly), and assisted with extra chairs, food and beer donations, and lots of singing. Thanks very much.

I plan on continuing this as long as I can and I hope to see a bunch of you at 0-dark-30 on 27 July 2020.

One of the most enjoyable moments this year was the attendance of Jamie Ibson. If that name is familiar to you, it’s partly because his name graces the cover of We Dare, the anthology that includes my story “The Chaos of Well-Seeming Forms.”

He was there at the bardic circle, his first one ever. Then he roamed around seeing so much with fresh eyes and a good camera. I had a great time hearing his perspective and seeing past my eighteen years of attending.

I’m glad he got to come and see the wild Rhodri in his natural habitat, which is different than the wild Rob at a convention.

The shop went really well this year, I thought. Thanks to Renaissance Arts and Designs, our neighbor, we were able to expand our footprint. For the first time we weren’t cramped for space and we could hide a bunch of the clutter behind tent walls.

We have a number of tweaks of course. I built a really night shelf unit that I’ll add a special Pennsic add-on. We’ll have a better gutter between tents. We’ll tweak some table and item layouts. But overall, I think the general consensus is it was a vast improvement.

Sales for me were slightly up from 2018. Nothing huge, but I’ve increased every year and this was no exception. However, I’ve already noticed my post-Pennsic e-book spike has begun. This is encouraging as it’s usually late this week before I see much as it takes that long for people to unpack my bookmarks.

I was able to do a little more roaming this year, in part thanks to beautiful weather. Sometimes dealing with the weather at Pennsic is exhausting, especially over 16 days. This year had a little rain, though not much compared to what it could have been. The temps never got to 90 and were often lower than 80.

So I had more energy to go to some bardic circles and events. My highlight was getting to see a friend from Atlantia have her laureling vigil. A laurel, by the way, is a title bestowed on someone for being good at arts and sciences, and one sits a vigil before receiving it to contemplate a change in station. She’s a great addition to our ranks.

Overall, it was a good war and I hope see you all next year.