Rob Howell's Blog
January 27, 2026
Rob’s Update: Big Announcement!
Greetings all!
Big Announcement
I’ve reached the time of transition! I’m moving this blog/mailing list over to Substack. Besides this email, you can expect subscription notifications and confirmations from Substack.
Before I go any farther, I want to emphasize that the stuff you’ve been getting from me for free will remain free. I may set up paid subscribers at some point, if it makes sense, but I will always provide an update to all who subscribe for free.
You’ve been partners with me along this journey and I appreciate you. If I do come up with something for paid subscribers, it will be content worthy of you wanting to pay for. I’m not sure I can deliver that right now, so I won’t even try until I can provide fair value. You guys deserve that respect.
Again, I’m importing my mailing list contacts from MailOctopus to Substack. I *think* this will be essentially the same as if I moved from MailOctopus to MailChimp or some other service, so it should be fairly painless. At least I hope so. Please let me know if there’s an issue.
Why make this change?
Basically, I think we can do a lot more together on Substack. It’s a more interactive platform, allowing us to hang out.
I think over the last year or so, I haven’t provided enough to you all. I’ve asked you to read the same sort of content and now it’s time to up my game.
I want to create a place where I can talk about all sorts of cool stuff that interests me and give you a chance to geek out on the things I’m geeking out about.
How am I going to improve?
I’m going to up my game by adding more media. In particular, I’m going to do a podcast each week following a schedule something like this:
Week One of the Month: Writing and Creative ProcessWeek Two: Something in history that interests meWeek Three: A book or magazine review, usually of a magazine from the golden age of SF or old Dragon mags. That sort of thing.Week Four: Sports!Week Five: And whenever there’s a week five, it’ll be a grab bag.I’m going to start this with my first real podcast next Tuesday at 6pm Central. I’ll be interviewing the amazing Kacey Ezell, who’ll talk about her new project to help creators.
Again, this is 6pm Central on Tuesday the 3rd. In general, I will set podcasts up as a live event, assuming I figure out Substack. I want your snarky comments.
That Tuesday 6pm Central slot, by the way, is my first guess at the best time to do it. As I get feedback from you guys, that time may change. Maybe it’ll be 7pm Central. Maybe 8. I don’t know where we end up because I don’t yet know what works best for you guys. Please drop me a line and tell me what you want. In fact, I’ll probably set up a poll for that.
Of course, if you can’t be there live, you can watch it later and send in questions and comments.
While the schedule I listed above will be my general pattern, I’ll mix it up as appropriate. For example, week 2 of February will probably talk about the Super Bowl and the previous NFL season. Week 3 will focus on FenCon. That sort of thing.
Moving from the podcast, I plan to post more pictures and tidbits. Snippets. Random poems I like. Whatever seems fun. These will come out whenever the mood strikes.
As a side note, I’ve already copied all the posts I’ve made here over to Substack. You can still search my blog going back to somewhere around 2004. I’ll probably highlight some old ones sometimes, like talking about my trip in Wales, which is a fun sequence from the summer of 2012.
I will have a pinned post where I have sort of the business side of things. This will include where I’m going, what I’m working on, and my tracking metrics. I will just update this page regularly.
I’ve set up a chat room there, so if you want to chat about stuff, we can do it! You tell me what you want.
Side note: I’m still exploring Substack, so I may yet be adding stuff. In any case, I hope you’ll like it.
Finally, I’ll have a written update for your email. I know I don’t always want to watch a video because I can read faster than I can watch, so this will go over what’s going on in my world. Basically, it’ll be the opening section of my previous emails without all the other sections. The fun stuff, like what I’m listening to and quotes will be subsumed into the podcast.
What does you need to do?
Nothing really, though I expect you’ll get some confirmation emails from Substack to make sure this is content you want.
I will shift to two emails a week, one for the podcast and one for the written update. I will *not* send out emails on the random stuff (unless of course I screw up and forget to tick that box, which I’m sure will happen on occasion).
Two emails is probably one too many, but I’m trying to match what I would want in your place. I would want to know about podcasts and I would want to have the opportunity to just skim the update some weeks.
To emphasize, this will not require you to be a paid Substack subscriber. Again, if I do something paid down the road, it’ll be for something where I think I’m providing content that’s worth you paying for. At this point, I don’t think that’s true.
Some of you will choose to leave because you don’t want to get two emails or have anything to do with Substack. I get that. And again, all you have to do is decline the invite when Substack sends it, so hopefully that’s easy.
But I’m doing this to have more fun sharing my interests with you guys and if that’s not interesting to you, you should absolutely opt out. I appreciate all of you who’ve stayed with me and you have my best wishes should you move on. Thanks for being a part of the journey.
Obviously, I hope you’ll all stay. I hope this will be a really cool next step in the journey. I’m excited what this will bring.
I’m sure there’s lots of stuff I should be adding, but here’s the TL:DR.
I’m moving to Substack. I want to provide you with something more by upping my game. I hope you’ll enjoy it and keep riding along with me.
Finally…
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’ve been great partners and I couldn’t have gotten to do this cool job without you.
Have a great week!
December 30, 2025
Rob’s Update: Happy New Year
Greetings all!
Happy New Year everyone! May it be a wonderful one for you.
I’ve had a good past couple of weeks. Of course there was Christmas, which is of course all the more fun with a granddaughter. I made some delicious briskets for Christmas dinner, though I’m sadly to the point of only one more serving of leftovers.
Oh, and I sent off a new novel to the publisher! I’ll be talking about that one when we have details, but it’s title is Shattered Spear. That should give you some hints…
That’s a nice capstone on kind of a wonky year. It was probably my least productive year since 2016. I only finished one novel, though of course The Feasting of Vengeance came out early in the year. I also added only 1 short story, but I did finish more.
I also did a bunch of editing, mostly in Okkorim. That is still going strong, and in fact is my primary focus right now.
Still, I didn’t do as much as previous years. The big thing, I think was the conclusion of two different and important parts of my writing career in January. One, of course, was stepping away from New Mythology Press. I’m proud of the quality of stuff we put out, but obviously I spent a lot of time working on it all and it was suddenly… gone.
The same was true of The Feasting of Vengeance, which finished the Foresters trilogy. I’m even more proud of what I did in the 4HU and not thinking/working on a 4HU novel or short story was a shock. First time that’s true in 6-7 years.
It took time for me to figure out exactly what would fit into those gaps. The big step there was P-Con, and I’m still ramping up with what’s came out of that. One thing, by the way, was Shattered Spear.
What was the change? Well, it came from asking Raconteur Press for more opportunities, which they have given me. Lots of things are happening in the background and I’m looking forward to build on that.
Those, I think, are both reason and excuse. It’s a fair reason to say that those changes should affect my production. It’s a fair excuse to say I should have pivoted quicker.
It’s both reason and excuse when I add how much I put into the store. We made great progress in making the store profitable this year, and I know I helped. I also know I probably did that instead of writing, especially in the spring.
So my grade for myself this year is a C+. More good than bad, but not great.
I’m excited about what 2026 will bring, though. Very excited. I’ll talk more about that next week. I have some changes in mind here plus in other parts of my writing/editing life. Expect me to add a regular podcast type show soon, for one thing.
But for now, it’s time to enjoy a bunch more college football over then next few days. Have a Happy New Year!
What I’m Listening ToTCU v. USC in the Alamo Bowl. Bowl season is still a bunch of fun, despite the Playoffs and NIL and what not. Speaking of fun, the Pop Tart Bowl was amazing! That is now a must see for 2026.
Quote of the WeekToday is Rudyard Kipling’s birthday. As he’s probably my favorite poet, or right up there if not, I’m not about to miss the chance to quote him. This one is from Young British Soldier, which is full of good advice, even for those of us who thankfully haven’t seen the elephant. It’s always ruin to run from a fight, though we often need support, even today.
If your officer’s dead and the sergeants look white,
Remember it’s ruin to run from a fight:
So take open order, lie down, and sit tight,
And wait for supports like a soldier.
Wait, wait, wait like a soldier…
– Rudyard Kipling, Young British Soldier
fencon.org/Gulf Wars, March 14-22, Lumberton, MS
gulfwars.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 330.4lbs
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
December 9, 2025
Rob’s Update: Being a Grandpa Rocks
Greetings all!
It’s been a great couple of weeks here. We had so much for Thanksgiving. Plus, I got to babysit the grandbaby a few extra things.
This whole grandpa thing rocks, I have to say.
I was also really productive these past couple of weeks despite all the family stuff. Major progress on my current Okkorim project and something like 12,000 words on my current WIP novel. All told, I put together about 40,000 words of stuff on the page, though the Okkorim stuff is correlating existing stuff to a great extent instead of new writing.
Still, lots of great work.
This upcoming week promises to be awesome too. Saturday, we get to go to the grandbaby’s first dance recital. This may be old hat to all you parents out there, but for me it’s new and awesome.
We’re also prepping for Christmas cookie baking on Sunday.
If you want cookies, you have to come help us clean up, just saying.
We’re also getting ready for our second birthday party for the shop the week afterward, on the 20th. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by. We’ll have some cool specials, pizza from Kristy’s Kafe, and some whimsy.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this two years. The time has flashed by and it’s awesome to see how it’s grown. Thanks to all of you’ve who’ve been with us on the ride.
My plan this week is to finish the first draft of the novel WIP. I’m about to enter the final chase and battle scene, and that tends to go fast.
LIfe sure gets exciting around this time of year these days. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season. For now, I’m going to relax for an evening.
Have a great week, everyone!
What I’m Listening ToMidsomer, the episode with horse racing and RPG gaming. One of my favorites!
Quote of the WeekWhat a great day for birthdays! Gustavus Adolphus. John Milton. Grace Hopper, Douglas Fairbanks, Kirk Douglass, Redd Foxx, Judi Dench, Deacon Jones, Dick Butkus, John Malkovich, and more!
Wow! Happy birthday to them all, or at least their memory in some cases.
I’ll go with Grace Hopper, someone who I think my parents admired. At the very least, she helped them have careers.
“The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.'”
– Grace Hopper
Rob’s Works in Progress
Sowing Spring’s Wrath (3,213)Upcoming EventsFenCon, February 20-22, Dallas, TXfencon.org/Gulf Wars, March 14-22, Lumberton, MS
gulfwars.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 333.2lbs
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
November 25, 2025
Rob’s Update: Happy Thanksgiving
Greetings all!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I have lots to be thankful for. I have a great family, especially in the grandbaby department. I all these writing and editing opportunities. And I have you all who make those possible.
Thanks very much everyone!
It was a very productive week here. I wrote over 10,000 new words, which is the best in a while. Most of those were in the current novel work in progress, which is flowing along nicely now.
The other is the next supplement in Okkorim. That too is making good progress. I’m aiming to have both of them complete by the end of the year, which might seem ambitious, but I seem to work well on the pair of them in tandem.
Also, at the end of the year, I’ll have a special announcement about something coming later in 2026! I might as well start teasing that.
This weekend is, of course, Thanksgiving. The Saturday after is Market Faire here in Anthony. If you’re in the area, come join us! The Saturday after that is the grandbaby’s first dance recital. Then the Saturday after that one is the store’s 2nd birthday party! Oh, and there’s Christmas, New Years, and a few other things.
It’s going to be a great December! And I’m thankful for that too.
Have a great week!
What I’m Listening ToMidsomer Murders. It’s such a comfortable bit of grisly murder after a long day of work.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to the amazing Poul Anderson, one of the greats. Here’s one of the reasons why, a philosophy I ascribe to myself.
“I think the first duty of all art, including fiction of any kind, is to entertain. That is to say, to hold interest. No matter how worthy the message of something, if it’s dull, you’re just not communicating.”
– Poul Anderson
Rob’s Works in Progress
Shattered Spear (21,986)Upcoming EventsMarket Faire, December 6th, Anthony, KSFenCon, February 20-22, Dallas, TXfencon.org/Gulf Wars, March 14-22, Lumberton, MS
gulfwars.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 335.4lbs
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
November 18, 2025
Rob’s Update: Write for the Wastebasket
Greetings all!
It’s been a good past couple of weeks. Sorry about last week, but if something comes up, I tend to get distracted with grandbaby time on Wednesday, so the update slips.
Ah, well, grandbaby time trumps everything right now.
A couple of weekends ago, we went to Calontir’s Crown Tournament. Congrats to our new heirs Xerxes and Andromir. Closer to home, my wife was able to step down from her position as the regional president. It’s a challenging job, and I’m so glad that bit of stress is out of her life.
I got a some done, maybe not as much as I’d hoped, but it was one of those weeks where things kept cropping up to slow me down. On the Okkorim side, I finalized a module that had been an absolute bear for me to work on. I also made progress on another project due at the end of the year.
I also got word back that my Kaj Ludek story didn’t make the cut. Ah, well, I’m still that much closer to a collection of stories from him. On to the next anthology.
What I mostly focused on, though, was my new novel. I’ll talk about details more, but I got about 15,000 written in it at this point, which is nice progress given that the publisher wants this to be more in the 50,000 range instead of 100k. I’m aiming to have that done by the end of the year too.
We’re also starting to ramp up for our 2nd birthday party, which will be held on the 20th of December. These last two years seem to have flown by.
In any case, if you’re near Anthony, come join us! We’ll have pizza, specials, and whatever else seems fun.
With that, I’ll see you all soon!
What I’m Listening ToMore Midsomer this week. The murder rate there per 100k is fascinating.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Johnny Mercer, who has this great quote about writing. My mom had a similar quote over her computer: Write lots of bad pages.
You must write for the waste basket.
– Johnny Mercer
Rob’s Works in Progress
Sharpened Spear (15,104)Upcoming EventsFenCon, February 20-22, Dallas, TXfencon.org/Gulf Wars, March 14-22, Lumberton, MS
gulfwars.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 339.4lbs
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
November 4, 2025
Rob’s Update: The Files of Kaj Ludek
Greetings all!
This past week saw me sending out another anthology submission. This is the second in the Files of Kaj Ludek. The first was in Vice Noir, and it debuted him as a PI in 1980s Kansas City.
It wasn’t intended to be a debut, but I liked the character and the writing business involves creating characters that then want to see the light of day over and over.
Anyway, Kaj is the grandson of a Czech man who fled to England before the war and fought at D-Day and across France to Germany. That gives me the cool Czech name and a neat family background.
It also allowed me to give him a gun with a neat backstory in its own right. He carries a Browning Hi-Power, or rather, an FN Hi-Power made and used by the Germans during the war. His grandfather killed an SS officer and took the gun, and now it’s a family heirloom.
Kaj himself served in Vietnam. Nothing extraordinary, no Green Beret thing, just an infantry grunt who saw more than he wanted.
The best part of writing these stories is setting them in KC. The worst part of writing these stories is setting them in 1980s KC. I’ve done a bunch of research about what was there at that time, and so far, I’m confident I got it right.
The one in Vice Noir involved the Civellas, the local mob. There’s some interesting stories there in their own right, some of which continue to this day.
This one involves the Steamboat Arabia, which was dug up in 1988. I submitted it to Raconteur Press’s anthology High Class Muscle, and here’s hoping it gets accepted.
I also spent this week working on other projects. I’d gotten to the part of my current novel where I needed to really do the basic Save the Cat Beatsheet so I’m writing in the basic general direction. I’m excited about this one, but I’m just going to tease it for now.
We also did a bunch more work around this building. Certain parts of it are finally taking shape.
So, all in all, a great week! Here’s hoping you have a great one yourself.
What I’m Listening ToBack to Inspector Morse.
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Will Rogers. I like today’s quote, and wish I could live up to its message.
Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.
– Will Rogers
fencon.org/Gulf Wars, March 14-22, Lumberton, MS
gulfwars.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 344.2lbs
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
October 28, 2025
Rob’s Update: Happy Halloween
Greetings all!
Sorry about no post last week, I had impromptu grandbaby duty that lasted longer than anticipated. Oh, darn, more grandbaby time!
It’s been a productive couple of weeks. I’ll send off a short story later this week. I made progress on the bigger projects too, plus did a bunch of cool stuff around the building.
Last weekend was the annual cleanup weekend where the Community Empowerment group gets dumpsters and encourages us to take advantage. Well, take advantage I did, getting six truckloads of junk out of the basement.
Yes! The basement. It’s not totally clean yet, but it’s close. It’s a big, open space of about 100 feet by 30 feet. My plan is to turn it into the wood shop. The existing shop is nice, but it’s cramped. This won’t be cramped.
Later this week, I’ll be recording a Blasters and Blades podcast show. I’ll get to talk about some of the gods I created for Okkorim and I’m excited. I’ll let you all know when that gets released.
Of course, it’s Halloween this weekend, which means trick-or-treating. That’s so much more fun with a grandbaby, just saying.
I’ll be pushing along on the various projects during the days, all of which are coming along. It’s a good time to get things done around here.
Happy Halloween everyone!
What I’m Listening ToWe’re watching the Addams Family, the original TV show with John Astin and Carolyn Jones. This particular one is the Halloween episode with Don Rickles. Brilliant stuff. Here’s wishing you some happy gloominess!
Quote of the WeekHappy birthday to Charlie Daniels. I bet you can get this week’s quote, because it’s perfect for Halloween.
Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard
‘Cause Hell’s broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals the cards
And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold
But if you lose the devil gets your soul
– The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels
Upcoming EventsFenCon, February 20-22, Dallas, TXfencon.org/Tracked Items
My Weight Today: 349.2lbs
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
October 14, 2025
Rob’s Update: A Fist Bump to Remember
Greetings all!
This has been the Rushiest of weeks that I’ve ever had, at least since the release of an album. First, as I mentioned last week, they’re going back on tour in 2026. I scored my ticket on Friday, and never have I been happier to have a Citi card since it got me in a couple days early.
I’ll see some of you in Fort Worth on June 30th, which will be a fun detour on my drive home from LibertyCon.
Geddy Lee CollectionThen, on top of that, Geddy Lee just released a new baseball book. If you didn’t know, he already had a great connection to the Negro Leagues Museum in KC. Some years ago, he donated over 400 baseballs signed by Negro League players and there is literally a Geddy Lee exhibit there.
So, the NLBM was the obvious place to have a signing, and surprisingly it was the only signing he’s doing for his book 72 Stories. I was one of the people there, of course.
Geddy LeeIn the presentation portion of the event, Geddy talked about scoring baseball games. When it was my turn, I mentioned that I kept score and that one of my prize possessions is the scoresheet from my slow-pitch softball perfect game.
He said, “A fellow geek!” and gave me a fist bump.
I’ve decided, after some consideration, not to bronze my hand. I’ve even washed it a few times since then.
Still, it was a neat experience for me to top off a fantastic week for this Rush fan.
I finished another Okkorim project this week. That makes something like 25 different projects over the last couple of years, over 1 per month and some of those are hefty pieces. The process is accelerating, too, so that’s exciting.
I also made progress in all three of the projects I’m working on. I’m especially excited about the noir PI project, which I expect to finish this next week.
I’ll keep hammering on the three this week. With that, I’ll see you all soon!
What I’m Listening ToDeath in Paradise. A light, fluffy murder show. It’s one of our favorites.
Quote of the Week“Ow, my eye!”
– Harold Godwinson, presumably
Okay, I made that up, but Happy Hastings Day to those who celebrate.
Tracked ItemsMy Weight Today: 353.8lbs
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
October 7, 2025
Rob’s Update: We’re On Fire!
Greetings all!
We’re on fire! Well, not really, though we’ve had a far more interesting evening than expected. A motor to an HVAC unit decided it was time to quit, and it sent a little smoke and icky smell through the ventilation.
No big deal, in the end, though we did get to meet the fire department.
This past week the wife and I went to Houston for Quilt Market. This will shock you, but it’s a big market for those who sell quilts and quilting supplies. Amazing, huh?
It was like most trade shows, and if you’ve been to one, you’ve generally been to all of them. We saw a lot of cool things, of course, including some amazing new dragon fabrics which we’ll have in 2026.
Plus, I got to see my first drone show, sponsored by Moda Fabrics, who were celebrating their 50th anniversary. It was really cool.
Moda Drone ShowAlong the way, the wife and I had a bit of a vacation, something we really haven’t done. We stopped at a variety of interesting places along the way and tried out a bunch of new restaurants. We’ve had little time for such things, so spending time with each other was really the best part.
Even with the trip, I had a reasonably productive week. I’m working on three projects and made some progress on each, including major progress on a new short story. We also finalized next month’s Okkorim module.
Of course, the big news this week is Rush related, and I have two cool things to talk about.
First, Geddy Lee will be doing a book signing at the Negro Leagues Museum for his new baseball book on Saturday. I’ll be there. Gonna be really cool as it’s been a while since I’ve been there.
Second and jaw-droppingly wow, Rush is going on tour next summer!!!!!!!
That’s actually like a 1000 exclamation point statement for me, but you only get 7 for now. Anyway, I’m going, and I think this time I might splurge on VIP tickets. I’ve never done that before, and I thought I’d never have the chance. I’d be an idiot not to at least investigate doing so this one last time.
I’m incredibly excited. I haven’t missed a tour since Signals and I’m not missing this one.
So it was a great week, especially the part where the building didn’t burn down!
What I’m Listening ToMore Lewis, which is nice comfort food after tonight’s excitement.
Quote of the WeekHappy 86th birthday to Bill Snyder. If you’re a college football fan, you know he’s one of the greatest coaches of all time, turning Kansas State into a perennial bowl team.
To put that in perspective, one year K-State was the single worse team in the NCAA, even ranked below Wichita State. To put that in ever more perspective, that particular ranking was the year after Wichita State ended their football program, so K-State was so bad, it was worse than a football team that didn’t even exist.
Sadly, he was not a quote machine, so I don’t really have a quote, I just wanted to gloat about that one year the Shockers didn’t even have a team and we were better than the Wildcats.
Tracked ItemsMy Weight Today: 355.2lbs
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: Dragons Enjoyed
Greetings all!
This past weekend, we hosted Dragon Day here in Anthony. We sponsored Eragon at the Historic Anthony Theater and got to take the grandbaby to her first movie. She couldn’t quite make it through the whole thing, but going for an hour at 2 is pretty good, I think.
Also, we got several local joints to make dragon-themed food or drink. All the stuff was tasty, with a spicier burger from Petunia’s, a spicier pizza from Kristy’s Kafe, and a dragonfruit version of a mule from the Idle Hour.
It was an exhausting day, but a lot of fun. We’ll be doing a Dragon Day every year. I would guess we’re sponsoring the original How to Train Your Dragon, which is what we wanted to sponsor this year but the studio wouldn’t let us because of the new version. Ah, well.
I spent time writing on a new project this week as well. I didn’t, quite, get to my goal of 7000 words in it, but I came close at about 6700, so that’s a good start. I’m aiming to finish by the end of November, which is more than doable since the publisher wants me to end up around 50,000 words instead of my customary 100,000.
We’ll see. Brevity is the soul of wit, and there are times I’m witless.
I also finished another Okkorim module. Chunking out at least one a month every month and let me tell you, these are lots of fun.
Tomorrow, we start our drive to Houston to go to Quilt Market, one of the big quilting trade shows. I’m pretty excited, actually, though I suspect I’ll be toting a bunch of stuff for the wife.
By the way, this means the shop will be closed Thursday through Monday so if you were planning to visit, I suggest a different weekend. Feel free to make online orders, though. Our crack staff will be fulfilling those as normal.
I’ll also be taking my computer to see if I can’t get some time just writing. It’ll be nice to be away from the shop for a few days.
I guess I better go pack. Catch you all next week!
What I’m Listening ToIt’s baseball playoffs, so right now I’m watching the Dodgers hammer the Reds, having hit 3 home runs off Hunter Greene. That Shohei Ohtani dude might be pretty good, though.
Quote of the WeekToday is the birthday of the Persian poet Rumi. Sadly, I can’t read any of the languages he wrote in (usually Persian), so I can’t truly enjoy all his poetic glory, but even so, we can see he was a master wordsmith.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
― Rumi
Rob’s Works in Progress
Shattered Spear (6,743)Upcoming EventsI have a number of things in the works, but nothing confirmed yet.Tracked ItemsMy Weight Today: 356.2lbs
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
