Before we do that, we have a few items of business to take care of. It was a good week. It’s my birthday today. I go to Pennsic next week.

Here’s a cat picture with Bella and Wynnifred enjoying sun puddles.

Next week, I’ll host Michael Morton on Rob’s Ramblings, but I had an udderly delightful show with this past week. You can watch it here:

But this particular update is about the Rush show. It’ll be longer than just about any update, plus it’ll have more pictures. Considered yourselves forewarned.

In October, on the way home from Quilt Market, I was sitting in the parking of a store in DFW that sold all sorts of Japanese items. The wife was shopping and we were going to get on the road back home after doing all things quiltish.

Then a buddy sent me a message. Rush is doing another tour!

Like most of us, it was astounding news. We thought the lads were done. That farewell image from behind Geddy, Alex, and Neil in Los Angeles was it, forever, a grand conclusion to the amazing gift of their career.

So that drive home from DFW, about 5 hours, went by quickly. Thoughts whirled. I’d go, I knew I’d go, I’ve been to every tour starting with Signals. But how would I go? And where?

I broached the topic with the family when I got home. I’ve been to now 23 Rush shows and before this I’d never done the VIP thing or had tickets close to the front. I usually went high on one side or another, but this time, this time that we never expected and we’re still not sure if there’ll ever be another chance, I asked if I could get VIP tickets.

And the wife agreed (She’s pretty wonderful, by the way). The mothers (hers and mine) chipped in money for the ticket, and there I was doing the constant refresh to claim the chance.

I’ll be honest, that amount of money bothered me, but I did it and there we go. Too late now (more on this later).

The date I chose was June 30th, which dovetailed nicely with LibertyCon. I was excited leaving LC for the first time. Sad the con ended, but what a cool thing to do right after—

Oh, crap, the show got postponed.

I found out because I couldn’t get into my parking lot, and at first, I thought it was someone trolling Rush fans in a truly cruel way. Of course, it wasn’t.

So I went home. I was bummed because I now expected I couldn’t see them at all this tour. My wife had plans this weekend and that doubt about the amount of money spent on the tickets reared its ugly head compounded by additional travel costs.

The wife and mom-in-law, together, basically insisted. The wife canceled her plans. I got new hotel reservations.

I’m sooooo glad that all happened. This close to giving up this experience. Sure, the money was enough to matter, but now, in retrospect, this was the best possible choice here. Not wisest. Not most unselfish. But in the end, the best.

When I got to the arena I discovered almost immediately the value of the VIP tickets. If you’ve been to a big arena concert you expect a few things. Long lines to get in, for one. Nope, no one in the line when I went through. Fighting through crowds to get the attention of a merch vendor is another. Nope, there were two people ahead of me, which gave me time to choose the shirt.

Side note about the shirt. I’m ecstatic in part because I’ve lost enough weight I could actually wear a 3x.

OK, back to the VIP stuff. They gave us some swag. Then there was the VIP lounge, which was pretty fun. Free food, good beer, neat memorabilia, as you can see from these pictures.

While there, I met a new friend! I randomly sat a table that had an open space and got to talking with the other guy there. Humorously, we were actually next to each other for the concert. Me in Row 6, Seat 1, him in seat 2. Had a great time chatting and it was nice to have a buddy during the show, which hasn’t always been the case. Most times I’ve seen Rush I’ve been on my own, which is fine, but more fun this way.

Anyway, here’s the whole set list.

Fifty Something Tour: Set List C (Codename: CHARLIE)

Main Performance - Set One

• Xanadu

• Dreamline

• Subdivisions

• Headlong Flight

• Bravado - with opening Neil Peart tribute video

• Red Sector A

• La Villa Strangiato

• Anthem

• New World Man

• The Spirit Of Radio

Main Performance - Set Two

• Tom Sawyer - with South Park/Lil’ Rush introduction

• Red Barchetta

• YYZ

• Limelight

• The Camera Eye - with piano intro by Loren Gold

• Witch Hunt

• Vital Signs

• Time Stand Still - with opening Neil Peart tribute video

• Closer To The Heart

• 2112 - (”Overture”, “Temples of Syrinx”, “The Grand Finale”)

Encore

• By-Tor & the Snow Dog

• Working Man

They started the show with a fun video which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWyKQphlIQ. It’s good to see the lads haven’t lost their senses of humor.

That led directly into Xanadu.

This was an inspired choice. It’s not a “big hit,” but for all the people who’ve loved Rush since the way back ago times, it’s a favorite. This was not only a great song, but it was a huge thank you to all of us who’ve been along for the whole ride. Plus, seeing Geddy and Alex with the double-necks is such an iconic memory for us.

Next was Dreamline. One line here jumped out at me: “We’re only at home when we’re on the run.” This tour doesn’t happen if the boys don’t truly love getting out on the road and doing shows. We never expected this tour, but they wanted to “travel on the road to redemption, a highway out of yesterday.”

Subdivisions is one of the most powerful songs they ever did for me. I was that dreamer and misfit who was so alone and filled with “the restless dreams of youth.” I guess I still am, but thanks to this song, it is a source of strength instead of weakness.

By the way, Geddy did the signature keyboard parts on this, which leads me to Loren Gold. They added him as a keyboardist to take the load off Geddy and this was another great decision. I never noticed him intruding on the show, with the one exception where they let him strut his stuff at the beginning of Camera Eye. However, I did notice that Geddy was able to interact with Alex, Anika, and the fans much more than in previous shows.

Headlong Flight was next. I’ve made no secret that Clockwork Angels is my favorite Rush album. I know, I know, it’s supposed to be Moving Pictures, 2112, or something like that. However, Clockwork Angels has all the creative innovation they’ve ever had blended with the skills of a lifetime and the experiences, good and awful, in that lifetime. I don’t think they can make that song before Neil lost his wife and daughter. I don’t think they have the skill in 1985. It’s a masterpiece made up of stellar lives.

Side note: The one song I missed was The Garden. It’s truly my favorite Rush song ever. Last song on their last album and it’s their best.

In the rise and the set of the sun
‘Til the stars go spinning – spinning ’round the night
It is what it is – and forever
Each moment a memory in flight

— The Garden

Back to this particular memory in flight.

And this is where I wept more than at any point. I’ll never listen to Bravado the same way ever again.

This was one of two tributes to Neil. Read the lyrics and you’ll have no doubt why they picked this one.

If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before it’s begun
If the dream is won —
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride —
Though paradise is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

And if the music stops
There’s only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
If love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

— Bravado

I paid the immense price for this show, but I will never count this cost. Just seeing this was worth it all. Crying just thinking about it, as I suspect I will for the rest of my life.

Then they went into Red Sector A. This has long been a personal favorite because of the lyrics and the power of the history. It talks about people in a Nazi concentration camp, and it’s all the stronger because both of Geddy’s parents survived the Holocaust.

Really powerful in this context, especially following Bravado.

Now we come to the test. Musicians who’ve tried to play Rush know this test. Many have crashed upon the reefs of La Villa Strangiato.

For those who don’t know, it’s an incredibly intricate song. The song’s subtitle is An Exercise in Self-Indulgence. Basically, they challenged themselves to see if they could even play something like this.

But Neil is no longer there to make those time changes seem effortless. Prior to the tour, many asked if Anika Nilles had the chops for this and some of the other difficult bits that Neil created.

The answer: An overwhelming yes. Technically, I thought she was excellent. I’m not a drummer, but I have air drummed to all of these songs for decades. I know these fills. I know the beats and the strikes. They’re a part of me at this point, especially the ones from Moving Pictures and before. I didn’t notice any flubs. I did notice some stylistic changes, especially the more powerful intro to Witch Hunt, but we knew she was going to add her style into the show.

OK, I’m going to suggest something blasphemous. First, Neil is the best drummer ever. No doubt in my mind.

But…

I’m not sure Anika isn’t a better live performer, at least compared to the last few tours. The difference is joy. Anika wants to be out there with the boys. Tours took Neil away from his family and his (very) private life and he only did them out of a sense of obligation to Geddy and Alex, at least that’s the impression I’ve gotten from interviews for a long time.

This isn’t the best picture I got of her, because many are of her focused on the task, but this might be my favorite. She, Geddy, and Alex loved being out there together and it showed.

If there are new Rush albums and more Rush tours with Anika, then we’re going to be just fine.

Next was Anthem, a song from the past. Honestly, at this point, I’m catching my breath. The emotion of Bravado and Red Sector A as songs combined with the joy at seeing them nail La Villa Strangiato, well, I just grooved to Anthem. It’s a great song, and one of the highlights of All the World’s a Stage to me, but here, it was a chance to catch my breath.

Before wheeling into New World Man. Rush fans know this was a throwaway song initially. They had nigh unto four minutes on Signals of difference between the front and back sides, which would be an issue for the cassette tapes. So they wrote this song, which became Rush’s only American top 40 hit reaching 21 (Tom Sawyer got to 44).

I loved this song before I learned its history and I probably embody the line, “He’s old enough to know what’s right, but young enough not to choose it.” Ah well, I’ve always thought I was “wise enough to win the world but fool enough to lose it.”

The last song of the set is one that had to be here, The Spirit of Radio. I literally think of this song every time I go on a trip thanks to the line: “Off on your way, hit the open road.” That opening riff is still one of the most powerful ones out there, to me. It’s not metal, per se, but that’s a simple genre distinction.

And there we have it. The first set. Only half of the show!

Now, it’s not a new thing. Every tour since Test for Echo has just been them without an opening act (Trivia question: Who was the last band to open for Rush? Answer below, but here’s a hint, I love them too).

I talked on my show a week ago about how things can help us place stuff that we take for granted into context. This set is an example. We were never going to get another Rush show but we just had an hour and a half of emotion, memory, joy, and amazing skill. And we get another set!

Man, I’m so lucky I fell in love with Rush nigh unto 50 years ago.

Anyhoodle, we begin the second set with South Park. If you’ve been to a Rush show, you know the skit. If you haven’t, though, here it is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh_9NY56Sxw.

Tom Sawyer is, of course, the first song off Moving Pictures and this set included all of Moving Pictures in order. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen that. They did it 2010 on their Time Machine Tour, again starting the second set just like this. I saw that tour a few times, notably in this context with a friend named Ted in Chicago.

Ted’s especially notable because in 1980, he was excited about this new album coming out early in 1981. In his enthusiasm, he played me a bunch of Rush songs, and that’s when I became a fan.

Thanks, Ted!

Anyway, Tom Sawyer is what Tom Sawyer is, one of the best songs ever but just the tip of Rush’s iceberg. Every band has hit songs that shape perceptions, bringing fame but also limits. I always enjoy listening to Tom Sawyer, but I rarely start with that one anymore.

We all know what comes next, right?

Red Barchetta in all its glory! It’s strange to think that in five years the line, “My uncle preserved for me an old machine for fifty-odd years” will turn fifty itself.

By the way, check out the image. They had a neat setup here with a grill that came down during parts of the in front of the guys. You could see through the grill just fine except where they projected an image onto it like here. It was a neat addition to the show, and they used it just enough but not too much. Too much would’ve meant less interaction with fans, but special images here and there were great. Plus, they had no need of a curtain, and that made transitioning directly from the opening video to Xanadu at the start of the show seamless, as you can kinda see here.

On to YYZ. Another chance for Anika to shine, and she did. Most of you already know this, but for those who don’t, YYZ is the airport code for Pearson in Toronto and this song starts out with the Morse Code for YYZ. Neil was a creative dude, and that’s one of his more fun ones, in my mind.

I miss Toronto. I don’t have time to get up there like I once did, but I greatly enjoyed those summers. I learned Latin, drank beer, sang songs, drank beer, hit people with sticks, drank beer, and generally had a great time while drinking beer.

Now we get to Limelight. As I mentioned above, this is why Anika might be better on tour than Neil. He didn’t like fame, famously so. Had I ever met him in person, I wouldn’t have mentioned Rush at all. I’d have geeked out about Old English poetry, which I think he would’ve enjoyed.

I don’t know that he ever read Deor, though I wouldn’t be surprised, but “þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg” would’ve resonated with him, I think. It’s a man decrying all the bad things that have happened in his life and in the life of others, saying, “That was overcome, so may this.” Might be the first country song in English.

Anyway, every tour Neil gave us was a gift beyond price. Greatest drummer ever. Amazing lyricist and writer. And incredibly generous with something that cost him dearly. “We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost” was something he lived, I think.

It’s hard to not think side one of Moving Pictures isn’t one of the best album sides of all time. Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, and Limelight are all incredible songs in their own right, but put them together? Amazing.

But honestly, I like side two more. It’s stranger, deeper, darker. More insightful.

It starts with Camera Eye, which is this weird song that kinda goes all over the place both musically and lyrically. That’s how it was performed in this show, too, since they gave Loren Gold a chance to show his mettle in the introduction here.

Of note, Loren was the only one to have a proper solo, but that made sense to me. Heck, in YYZ, just one song, all three of the others have moments to shine. Those moments were there throughout the show since the Holy Triumvirate were always that, a Triumvirate.

But Loren was in a difficult spot. He was like an umpire in baseball, best if he does his job and doesn’t get noticed. I love that Geddy, Neil, and Alex for decades did everything. They put the “power” and “the trio” into power trio. The truth is, they have nothing to prove at this point and the addition of backing musicians like Loren and the amazing string ensemble in the Clockwork Angels tour kicked their shows up a notch.

And the song itself was delightful, as it was the first time I remember seeing it live back in Chicago with Ted. I especially like this song because I am a “Wide-angle watcher on life’s ancient tales, steeped in the history of London.”

They started Witch Hunt, as I mentioned before, with a different drum intro than I remember from any show. It was heavier on the bass and was one of the stylistic differences I noted. This song resonated with me when I was young, and still does.

But here we get to a huge highlight of the show. I may be weird (okay, I’m definitely weird), but my favorite song on Moving Pictures is Vital Signs. Like Subdivisions, it’s a song that gets me.

But this song is just so cool. It’s got this reggae touch combined with industrial and a hint of metal in sort of the perfect progressive rock song. Plus, this is one of Neil’s best set of lyrics. They twist and turn on each other in brilliant fashion as you can see here.

The impulse is pure –
Sometimes our circuits get shorted,
By external interference

Signals get crossed –
And the balance distorted
By internal incoherence

— Vital Signs

I often have crossed signals, in part because I’m often not sure in my brain. Balance is something I strive for and often fail to achieve.

But whatever else, this song gave me a solid part of who I am, simply by telling me that “everybody got to elevate from the norm…” I have tried to do that, too.

Whew. Moving Pictures is still one of the best albums ever. It and Led Zeppelin IV were the first two CDs I ever bought. Pretty good taste if I do say so myself.

But the emotion of that, combined with the emotions of Vital Signs made the next song tough. It was Time Stand Still, which was a great choice for the second act’s tribute to Neil.

Oddly, though, I didn’t cry this time and I think it’s because of this:

Time stand still —
I’m not looking back —
But I want to look around me now
See more of the people
And the places that surround me now

— Time Stand Still

Bravado got me, got me good. I was looking back, seeing the paradise lost, the river that was too wide, the summit that was too lofty. The memories of what Neil was and how important he’d been to me, even if he had no idea I existed nor would he appreciate my appreciation of him.

But with Time Stand Still I was taking a look around me. Not looking back, but looking at what I have. I’m really lucky. I have an amazing life with a great wife, a delightful granddaughter, and a career I can be proud of. Neil helped me get to this point. I will cry about Neil again, and in fact am crying about him as I type this, but he gave me also the chance to appreciate the good things too. Experience slips away, but I see more of the people and the places that surround me now.

All the treasures
The gold and glory
It didn’t always feel that way
I don’t regret it
I never forget it
I wouldn’t trade tomorrow for today

— Headlong Flight

I have no need to trade tomorrow for today since today is pretty damn good.

Back to the show and at this point, I know we’re getting close to the end. I’d like it to go on forever, but my feet and knees were about done. I sat down for the first time during Vital Signs, though in fairness, some of that was because I decided to record that song on my phone and needed the extra stability. Sure it was because I needed the extra stability. Sure it was.

On that topic though, the recent weight loss made this show that much more fun. I can’t remember the last time I could buy a concert t-shirt at a show and fit into it, but I did this time. And, of course, I had that much more stamina to stand. Vital Signs was my only break.

Anyway, they followed Time Stand Still with Closer to the Heart. I’m gonna blaspheme again. Closer to the Heart is a great song and I love it, but honestly, it’s my least-favorite song from A Farewell to Kings. Yes, I like Madrigal more. No accounting for taste, I guess.

Some of the other set lists have the title track from that album, and I hope they’ll have it on the DVD because I love it. On the topic of the DVD, I hope they give us every song they play on all of the set lists. The show I saw was 3.5 hours long but they’re playing, at quick count, 16 other songs! They did a ridiculously long show and have another 2.5 hours worth of music they couldn’t fit in.

Is there any doubt I’d watch a single Rush concert that was 6 hours long? Shut up, knees, you can take it! But if I can’t do that at the arena, I’ll take it on a DVD.

Ooops, I got off track again. Shocking…

They didn’t play all of 2112 to close the set, but they did play the Overture, Temples of Syrinx, and The Grand Finale. That’s a pretty significant chunk in it’s own right and it’s just fun. We got to do the ancient and venerable 2112 traditions, which is a blast with thousands of people all yelling “Hey” at once.

Plus, “Attention all planets of the solar system. We have assumed control,” is one hell of a way to conclude a set, by the way.

Now we come to the encore. I guessed Working Man would be part of the encore. It’s been an encore staple for years and, honestly, it’s a great way to say goodbye. If anyone deserves to take out a nice, cold beer, it’s musicians who’ve been playing for 3.5 hours with only a hint of a break.

But I got a special treat on this show because we got By-Tor & the Snow Dog. Okay, fine, it’s a truncated version, but I love this song. Oh, sure, the backstory is whimsical (here’s a link for the full story if you don’t already know it: https://rushvault.com/2011/01/11/by-tor-and-the-snow-dog-background/), but if you think I’m going to not like a song about epic battles between mighty foes, then you’ve got another think coming!

I mean, seriously, check out this line:

The Snow Dog – ermine glowing in the dampnight
Coal black eyes, shimmering with hate

— By-Tor & the Snow Dog

How cool is that! And the Snow Dog is the good guy!

So, yeah, that was the encore song I wanted and I got it. Finding My Way seems to be the other option. It’s a great song, no doubt, but I want heroes and monsters.

And that’s the show.

I stayed until they shepherded us out, in part because I needed to sit, in part because I needed to wallow in the memories. I also took a bunch of pictures of the set in the light.

But I have one more thing to touch on. Here they are taking a bow together.

Neil never came down off his riser to take a bow. Never. Well, he did once, and Rush fans all know the day: August 1st, 2015. That was the final show of the R40 Tour. That was when we knew, absolutely knew, that the R40 tour was the final Rush tour we would ever get.

Little did we know that the boys would need to ride that “road to redemption,” in part because we never needed it from them. Neil, Geddy, and Alex gave us 40 years and we can only thank them for that.

But now there’s Anika. She will forever be a symbol of joy for me. She’s joyful in getting to do this gig, but see the joy in Ged and Alex here.

And of course, my own joy in getting to experience Rush another time, and maybe more. Who can know?

What I do know is this was one of the top three Rush shows I’ve ever seen. Somewhere, there’s a smiling man sitting here:

Oh, yeah, I promised an answer to the trivia question. I Mother Earth opened for them once on the Counterparts tour on May 7th, 1994 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Toronto band for a Toronto show, and if you haven’t listened to I Mother Earth yet, I suggest you do so. Not Quite Sonic is a hell of a song.

Whew. I’m drained. Thanks for following along as I lived it all again.

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 310.4lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

A very productive week as July’s heat makes these ladies quite hot:

Aren’t they lovely? The wife is certainly in favor of me associating with these hot chicks, and since I helped set up and arrange the large chicken run, she gave me kissies for my labors.

A pretty good deal if you ask me.

This project actually included a bonus which we didn’t anticipate but which is going to be quite nice, I think. You can’t see it in this picture, though you can see the shade, but there are these trees outside my office door. In order to wedge the chicken run under them as much as possible, we had to clear out a goodly amount of lower branches. This in turn created a new pathway under the trees that you can see to the right of the image. To the left, outside of the frame, is the corner of the brick wall and now we have a nice place for a table mostly in the shade.

This gave us an outdoor area which we haven’t had before, especially once we clean it up and arrange it a bit better. Quite nice.

Quite nice as well was the doctor’s visit I had this morning. I’ve plateaued on weight and a number of other things, but it’s a much better plateau. My A1C remains below even pre-diabetic range and all the other things are generally really good.

As for writing, it was also productive there. I have crossed the boundary in every book where I have to cut a bunch because I figured out a better story and now I know the path to the end. There’ll be some twists and turns, but it’s there. Plus, I’ve added some setup for books 3 and later, so that’s good too.

All in all, a good week.

Tomorrow, I’ll head down to Fort Worth to see the rescheduled Rush show. Again, I have to thank the wife for her generosity in canceling her plans so I could go. Much appreciated!

One drawback of being in Anthony is that I have fewer opportunities to write in a bar. Brewbakers was a nice spot for me, and I wish I still had that. I can’t go there, but I’m scheduling my trip this weekend with breaks. Hopefully, I can get a decent writing session on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The drive’s not long, only about 4.5 hours to the hotel, and the doors don’t open until 5:30pm on Saturday, so I’m going to take advantage of the timing.

There’s a non-zero chance that by the end of the weekend I’ll be in the final battle, and those are always the fastest thing to write for me. I’m on track to start book 3 for real during Pennsic.

Speaking of which, I’m nigh unto packed and ready to go. We’re trying out a slightly new plan. In the past, I’d hotel it at Grove City, PA, about 15 minutes from site, leading to a relaxing morning matriculating those final few miles. This year, I’m experimenting with Cranberry Township, which is about 30 minutes to the south from site. It has the advantage of having a Costco and an Aldi’s within a mile of the hotel, meaning we can get some of our final shopping done. This shopping pass is entirely dependent upon space remaining after picking up the first batch of pottery and the store fixtures from Gwen and then my rider in St. Louis. I can play Tetris, but it’s a bit of a challenge when you can’t see the pieces.

Anyway, two weeks from today, right about now, I’ll be somewhere near Dayton.

Did I mention I love Pennsic?

But I better get back to writing. Y’all have a great week, and here’s hoping your chickies handle July’s heat well!

This Week’s Show

This past week I rambled on America’s 250th by talking about something I disagreed with from Ian McMurtrie. I don’t disagree with him often, and I didn’t really disagree with him on his point, only on the degree.

To make my point, though, I referenced the Martin Koszta Affair, William Least-Heat Moon’s Blue Highways (especially his cafe calendar theory), Operation Tomodachi, Home Depot, Rodney Smith, and the 1848 revolutions.

I will say, this is probably my most personal show yet. If you don’t want to here me bloviating about my own opinion, then this isn’t the show for you 😀

Next Week’s Show

Next week I get to host the amazing Melissa Olthoff in all her dour grimness! Dour, I say! Grim, I say! Find out how dour and grim she is when we talk here:

https://open.substack.com/live-stream/273279?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell

Hey, look at me, I’ve just added something! If you have a question for Melissa, click the link below and tell me! Consider this a new feature.

Leave a comment

Upcoming Schedule

• July 21^st, Michael Morton.

• July 28^th, will try to have something from Pennsic.

• August 4^th, will try to have something from Pennsic.

• August 11^th, Orson Scott Card.

• Football Previews a-coming!

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

LibertyCon was awesome. The trip went really well until… Sad Panda! With that bit of foreshadowing, I now give you a picture of today’s challenge

As you can see, Bella has claimed her spot, making my keyboard sit on the edge of the desk instead of in the middle which is far more convenient for my hands. Cat supervisors do not always aid in the process.

Back to LibertyCon! I expected it to be great, and it was, but this was one of the best years I’ve ever had. First, my process to get there is improving. I stop in Murfreesboro to see friends and now I’ve discovered there’s a very convenient Costco.

In the past, I’d get to Chattanooga and then hunt down food for the CKP party. Throwing a party always adds complexity, but getting everything at the Costco in Murfreesboro eliminated a couple of trips, plus did it during Thursday morning where I have extra time given that I only have to drive about 2 hours and can’t check in until 3ish.

One of the regulars made a plan to get a horde of folks set up to go to Rodizio, an excellent Brazilian steakhouse. This provided one of the highlights for me, as I fortuitously ended up across from Eric S. Raymond. He’s a pretty legendary guy in the open source computer community, having been a part of things way back when. I had a great time chatting with him, and later on gave him a book.

Thursday is, of course, BarCon. I’ve said it often that hanging out in the bar Thursday night at LibertyCon is the single most important event a newer author can attend. There’s so much to learn and so many opportunities you may never get otherwise. I got that and the usual reconnecting with friends. It really is a highlight of the year.

Friday started with me on Author’s Alley. They are kind enough to provide authors with a few hours of an opportunity to sell books and I claim 3 hours in a block. Ideally, it’s early in the con for me, and that’s what I got, 3 hours right out of the gate. I may start requesting this because after that’s done, I can put my stock and display stuff in the car and get it out of the way for the party.

I sold more books than usual this year, which is of course nice. It was still less than 10 total, so it’s never all that much. Really, more than anything, it’s advertising. Always well worth it, simply to talk to people, and I did that constantly.

After that is opening ceremonies. LC’s opening ceremonies are unique, in my experience, as people attend them. It’s actually worth going to. Gray Rinehart often performs a song, which he did again this year. They had a fun little promo movie. The MCs get to do their schtick (and with HP and Jacob Holo, there was schtick). Plus, of course, getting into the vibe.

After that, I went to the CKP Year Ahead panel which had a big announcement (more on that later).

Then I finished Friday’s duties by having a reading. I read the first 2 chapters of Shattered Spear, the boy’s adventure novel I have coming out on November 13th. I also got to hang out a bit with Michael Morton, who’s a good guy and good writer.

Friday night was a goodly amount of socializing in the bar and then at parties. I may have stayed up later than intended.

Saturday was I had a few responsibilities. First, was the banquet. I go to this for a variety of reasons. One, it’s generally enjoyable. Two, I can often connect to some of the bigger names. Three, and most important, I get to sit at a table with a somewhat random group of people. I get to know a few more people better than before, and that’s good both both personally and professionally.

Following that, I moderated a panel on First Principles. This panel included Tony Andarian, Devon Erickson, Jon R. Osborne, and Jim Curtis. We discussed where does one start when creating a MilSF setting. I came out of this convinced this has to be something an author is strong at. In other words, I should start with history and political structures since that’s something I’m good at. Erickson should start with tech. And so on.

My reasoning is this: if you’re creating the first thing in a setting, it’s the foundation of everything else. You can handwave some things (and should), but you’re building everything else off this first pillar. You have to know it backward and forward.

Anyway, then we went to one of the most fun panels I’ve had in a while: Orchetypes. This was a fun discussion of orcs in fantasy and science fiction, including “orchetypes” like Klingons.

The big thing I discovered is that I really don’t have an orc voice.

After that was prepping for the party. I already had a lot of it ready, thanks to things going smoothly on Thursday, so that went smoothly. After we got the basics done, Chris and I had a chance to chat for a bit on story ideas. Honestly, it’s been a long time since Chris and I really had a quiet time to chat and that was definitely a highlight.

We talked about the special announcement he’d made in the CKP panel and what I’ll write for that. More on that later (I’m such a tease).

The party was one of our better ones, I think. I didn’t see but half of it because Chris and I got connecting rooms and conversations went on both sides. The last person left about 3:30am and I got to sleep about 4. I might have been dragging a bit on Sunday morning.

However, I got to all of my panels! Go me!

The first panel I went to was the 4HU Roundtable. I’ll talk about this one in a moment.

I had one more panel to moderate, and that was on World Building for Epic Fantasy. This actually dovetailed nicely with the First Principles panel. Including on the panel was Tony Andarian, M.D. Boncher, Chuck Gannon, Scott Huggins, and Sean C.W. Korsgaard. It was a nice mix of experience and fresh faces, and I wish I’d done a better job, but to be fair, at this point, I was flagging a bit.

After that was me doing all my Sunday get ready to leave prep. By dinnertime, I have only my change of clothes, toiletries, and computer bag in the room. A few more things this time, but not so much I couldn’t carry it all in one load. I like to get on the road early so I can take breaks.

Then I had more socializing in the dead dog time. This included nice sitdowns with Jonna Hayden, Chris again, a bit with Toni Weisskopf, and more. Then there was a version of Cards Against Humanity written for EMTs. That’s pretty disgusting, by the way, moreso than normal CAH, and that’s saying something.

Good times.

Let’s see, what did I miss… Oh, yeah! I foreshadowed a couple of things.

I was done. Finished. The story was complete and I had nothing really to add. I’m talking about the Queen Elizabeth’s Own Foresters. That was a solid trilogy and one I’m proud of. I was never going to write in the 4HU again, which was not a big deal since the 4HU had completed its arc.

And then came the CKP panel and 4HU 2.0.

It’s set 60 years after the big epic fight that concluded 111 books. Suddenly, I have another set of stories to write, starting with a short story due in January. As we talked through things, I have a plot, a starting point, and a conclusion. Heck, I may write it at Pennsic just because.

LibertyCon is like that. You always end up with more things to write, and that’s not the only one, but it’s the one I’ll talk about now.

Overall, I went with a number of goals, as always. I achieved most of them, which is what I expect. I set enough goals so I don’t run out. My biggest goal was to recruit for the podcast. That happened. There’s a bunch of announcements upcoming, but I’ll leave that for later.

Whew. A great LC as usual, and I’m leaving out so many small moments, but there are only so many electrons and I have to get to the part where I am a Sad Panda.

I left LC going to Fort Worth, which as you may already know, is not on the way from Chattanooga to Anthony. However, that’s where Rush was playing! I was so excited for this tour, I even did something stupid and bought VIP tickets!

And then Geddy got sick. Show canceled. I found out as I tried to park.

The show is rescheduled for July 11th and they’ll honor these tickets. However, I was on the fence to come back. I could get a full refund and that’s a useful amount of money, plus not having to spend for two more hotel nights. I suppose I could just do one night, but I don’t want to be exhausted for the show after a 6 hour drive.

Plus, while I’ve looked forward to this show for 9 months and I’ve seen every tour since 1982, I didn’t want to be too selfish. The wife had plans she’d have to cancel and I am spending too much on myself.

Then my mother-in-law decreed that I must go. Now the best wife has rearranged her schedule and canceled her plans. She’s the best wife evah!

So I guess I’m going after all!

This weekend is the 4th, of course. I hope everyone has a great time. 250 years is a hell of an accomplishment and something we should be proud of.

Next Week’s Show

Obviously, there was no show last week as both Melissa and I decided to spend time with family.

Next Tuesday, I’ll be talking about July 4th and 250 years of America.

Hey, everyone! Take pictures of your celebrations this weekend! I’ll yoink all the ones I see (that you permit).

I’ll talk some history, including maybe the time we almost went to war with Austria in 1853.

And more! Like maybe a special guest!

Join us here: https://open.substack.com/live-stream/264129?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell

Upcoming Schedule

• July 7th, 250th Birthday with guests that will surprise all of us.

• July 14th, Melissa Olthoff for reals this time!

• July 21st, Planning in Progress.

• July 28th, at Pennsic. I’m going to try and do a show there.

• August 4th, at Pennsic. I’m going to try and do a show there.

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 313.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

I had a very fun and productive week. Words and research done on the new book, prep for LibertyCon, prep for Pennsic, and packing for the wife to do a quilt show up in Wichita.

But first, Bella has found a new sleeping spot:

Apparently, the cat carrier isn’t the worst place in the world. I wonder what she’ll do next time we take her to the vet. For now, though, it’s very cute.

And a bonus image this week, something nautical related. I bought a new book!

How geeky am I? I actually find all the ships in the US Navy interesting, including ones like AO-23 Neosho. “AO”, by the way, is the designation of an oiler. The Neosho was supporting the American task forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea when the Japanese mistook her for an aircraft carrier and launched a strike that ultimately sank her and her escort, the destroyer Sims.

Anyway, I find them all interesting and I know exactly when that interest was piqued. When I in Jr. High I ran across Samuel Eliot Morison’s History of United States Naval Operations in World War II and fell in love with it. In its appendices is a list of all the US Navy ships, including the auxiliaries. That was the moment.

Yes, I have the full 15-volume collection on my shelves about 6 feet away.

Anyway, this book is already amazing and I’m only a few pages in. Best part? I’m already mining it for story ideas. Well, that’s not really the best part. The best part is finding new auxiliary types. Or wait, the best part is… Never mind. I’m not sure you all are prepared for me to show how truly geeky I am!

Side note: One of the things I don’t like about 4X games is the dearth of auxiliaries. They always hide them in abstract mechanics. If I ever get a chance to build a 4X game of my own, I’ll use the abstract mechanics but also add auxiliaries. Having AOs, for example to extend fleet range, or AE (ammunition ships) to provide more striking power, or whatever.

Side note to the side note: Here’s the list of ship classifications: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hull_classifications. Play the home game and see how you’d add these ships to a game!

However, I didn’t just geek out, as I said. I wrote a goodly amount in the next book, which included a bunch of research to build the story.

The big problem with this book is that Shattered Spear is set in 902 and draws from a major incident in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Unfortunately, the next major incident in the Chronicle is in 907, which I plan on using, but the main character is 11 in 902 and would be 16 in 907 and I want one with him in between.

It took a while to find a hint of something to draw from, but I have, and now I’ve even been able to pinpoint a specific location to set the main battle. Interestingly, I’ve been to this location. I won’t tell you where, exactly, but it’s on the Offa’s Dyke Trail.

When I write fiction and come to something I want to research, my common practice is to type XX, which is my indicator to come back and fix something (Side note three: All authors should have a way to mark spots to come back to so they can just keep typing the story).

Anyway, historical fiction requires me to use that technique less often. Sometimes the research is crucial to the way the story is structured. If I have a battle in a location where we know the terrain and the reader can look it up, I have to have that terrain in front of me to keep me in line.

Anyway to the anyway, I’m ecstatic. I think I’ve turned the corner from the challenging small word count days to the groove part where I’m chunking them out. This always happens in books for me, and is so delightful when it does.

You know, saying that, I just thought of a scene. Y’all have a great week!

This Week’s Show

What a fun show this week! I had the pleasure of hosting , the big boss of LibertyCon (which is next week). We had a great time talking about her, the con, and all the great people who are a part of it. If you go to LibertyCon, you don’t want to miss it!

Next Week’s Show

Next week I’ll Melissa Olthoff! She’s a great author whose book Tempered by Fire comes out on July 7th. This is the 2nd of her Griffin Corps series, which is fantasy both epic and military. Great stuff.

Join us at 7pm Central next Tuesday as we talk about that, LibertyCon, and whatever else seems fun!

Upcoming Schedule

• June 30th, NO SHOW, watching Rush in Fort Worth

• July 7th, 250th Birthday with guests that will surprise all of us.

• The rest of July is open! What do you want to see?
  

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

We kicked off Father’s Day ahead of time by talking to a bunch of friends about their dads. This is definitely my most poignant show as we all shared memories of our dads.

But first, my office manager hard at work!

I spent this week running hither and yon. I popped up to Lilies War for a couple of days after sending out last week’s update. The wife had to be there because she’s one of the war’s volunteers. I took up the tent and set it up.

I’m actually really pleased how that went. Setting up camp is a major thing now, given all the stuff we bring. However, for an event where we’re not setting up a merchant booth, I was able to do it basically by myself. As I’ve said, my weight has basically plateaued around 310, but that’s a major step up from 370ish. I’m not in great shape, but I’m definitely more active.

Anyway, then I came home to watch the shop, feed the cats, and take care of the chickens. By the way, the moms helped out a ton with the shop, as they often do. We really appreciate them giving us some time where both of us can travel.

For work, I focused on the last Okkorim project. It’s a bittersweet moment finishing it because I really enjoyed what we did there. We had some neat, innovative adventures and had some really cool worldbuilding, but the project is left unfinished. I had so much more in mind. Maybe I’ll get off my butt and set up my world in Castles and Crusades, which I have to say I really enjoy.

I also did a bunch of work on Shattered Spear II. Much of this week’s work was historical, not words on the page, but in historical fiction, you have to be right. Fortunately, I have the resources at hand to look up mines and quarries in Herefordshire and what not.

Still, I got about 10% of the book written, which is only about 5000 words, but still that’s progress.

Made progress on re-arranging the shop too. I also started the process of getting the upstairs in this building fitted for human existence. It’s only the basic quotes, but I need them as I’m applying for a grant. Wish me luck!

And with that, I’m off to write some more.

This Week’s Show

This was perhaps my favorite show despite the fact it was certainly the least smooth one. I tried a new format where I swapped guests in and out so we could hear as many cool stories about dads as possible. Check it out here:

Thanks to Ruth Jackson, Casper Hileman, Wally Waltner, Kelly Grayson, Nathan Balyeat, Chris DiNote, and Cedar Sanderson for coming on the show! Some of the stories were rough emotionally, and I appreciate your willingness to talk about them.

Truly, it was the most emotional and poignant show I’ve ever done. I’m sure I’ll do it again next year.

Next Week’s Show

I’m excited to host the amazing Brandy Bolgeo-Hendren! If you don’t know her, she’s the boss at LibertyCon, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. We’ll be talking about what’s happening this year, the history of the con, and about her dad, Uncle Timmy, who founded the con.

If you’ve ever been to LibertyCon, you don’t want to miss it. If you haven’t, watch the show and learn why it’s worth it to hit refresh on your screen to make sure you get a ticket to the show!

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 308.8 lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

Kirby’s softball is getting the band back together! Let’s just say when we play Under 30 v. Over 30, the younger team is heavily outnumbered.

But first, your favorite part of it all, a picture of one of my lovely co-stars. In this case, Wynnifred all snuggled up.

As I mentioned in the lede, I joined the crew of Kirby’s softball as they’re starting back up. This team went for decades, but the COVID break killed not only them but also the entire Wichita Bar League. It’s a shame, too, as that league had some great players and great teams over the years, including Kirby’s.

Anyway, I’m not as young as I was in the 90s when I showed up Sundays to play and Wednesdays to practice. And, of course, drink afterward. Or during. Or both.

Let’s just say I was rusty. Rusty on the order of the Yorktown (CV-5), which is currently 3 miles under the surface of the Pacific.

I wasn’t completely pathetisad, but I wasn’t good. Especially with the running part. I have forgotten how to run, and it’s something I need to re-learn. I pulled a muscle in part because of how awkward I am these days, and since I still had a great time, I better work on that.

By the way, I’m sure some of you know why I used the Yorktown as my reference point above. Today is the 84th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. If you’re really interested in the battle, start with Shattered Sword by Paschal and Tully. It’s truly a revolutionary study of the battle in large part because they completely rewrote its historiographical foundation. Great stuff, both for a reader and for a professional historian, which I still am.

One reason I can claim that is the historical fiction I’m writing right now. I’m absolutely using the research I did when I was at Mizzou. Historical fiction is challenging, of course, because there’s a balance.

Part of the fun in writing these Eadward books, of which I plan on 5, maybe 6, is adhering to all the known facts while deviating purposefully for a great book when it’s required. And then, after that, telling the reader just exactly what choices I made.

In this particular case, I’m getting to take advantage of a blind spot. We know something happened, but can’t pin it down more than it happened somewhere between 903 and 909. That means I get to make it up! And I am. Made good progress this week too.

On a more personal side, I’ve not lost much, if any weight for a while now. However, I’m down to about 310, which is a major step forward and one of the reasons I even tried to play softball. I’ve also found myself doing a heck of a lot more projects of late. Right now, I’m rearranging the garage a bit. I’m shifting a workbench out there for small projects, with my intent to have a full woodshop in the basement when we get stairs down there again.

All this is to say, I’m doing a lot! And I’m also sore. But it’s the good kind of sore! Still hurts though…

Anyway, y’all have a great week!

This Week’s Show

Usually, I have shows lined up, but sometimes stuff happens, and that’s when I get MAD!!!!

We had more MADNESS this week, thanks to help from Charli Cox and Sam Robb. Check out the show here:

As you can see, Charli and Sam are fun folks. Find out more about Charli here: https://dot.cards/charlicox.

Check out Sam here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sam-Robb/author/B07QJCG3BD and go read his new book, A Sense of Murder, here: https://www.amazon.com/Sense-Murder-Road-Mage-ebook/dp/B0H1TL57P7/.

Next Week’s Show

This next week I’m going to try something new. I’ve invited a bunch of people to give a quick story about their dads. Cool and fun stuff to celebrate cool and fun dads.

This will probably be a bit disjointed as I rotate guests in and out, but I think it’ll be fun. We’ll have some people returning to the show, some people who will be on eventually, and also some of the people who watch the show.

I’m really excited, and I think it’ll be one of the best things I’ve done. It’ll also probably be emotional, so make sure you have tissues handy. I definitely need them because I’m a weepy cuss.

Anyway, join us here: https://open.substack.com/live-stream/228801?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell.

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

2026/04/19

Greetings all!

This past weekend out at El Dorado Lake, my wife got her Pelican, which is a big deal in the SCA. I got to write the ceremony, which was based on Venetian traditions, including an oath drawn from the oaths spoken by Doges. Not much better ways to spend at the lake than to see loved ones getting cool stuff.

Speaking of loved ones, here’s Bella posing for the camera.

The wife’s oath, by the way, went like this:

I, Giulia Isabella de Venezia, do promise to promise.

I shall endeavor to increase the prestige of Calontir, treat all citizens fairly, promptly do justice to all, keep secret what is debated in councils, not collect or appropriate assets or annuities due to the populace, pursue counterfeiters so as to keep the currency in good condition, and arm at my own expense my dependents.

Furthermore, I swear to not influence the election of the Bishops and the Patriarch, nor send personal letters to the Pontiffs or Emperors, though I retain the right to speak with such I happen to meet directly.

May this promissory charter remain in full force until the Crown release me, the world ends, or death take me.

Giulia Isabella de Venezia

The “do promise to promise” part comes from a standard phrase in Latin (promittentes promittimus) the Doges spoke to start their oaths. My favorite part of this, by the way, is the part where she can’t write letters to Popes or Emperors, so I guess that’s now my job.

For my real job, I’ve been cranking out words in my main WIP, which is now up to about 12,000, or about a quarter done. I also started work on my final Okkorim editing project, helped out a new writer, and cleared out a bunch of advertising things, including the new ad for the Pennsic site book.

Not bad for a week where I didn’t get home until Monday evening and have been recovering from two pretty big weeks.

This Week’s Show

This week’s show starred the amazing(ly bearded) Wally Waltner! We talked about his series, The Muses War. Book two of that series, Fugue of Fire, just came out.

Now, I’d heard the term fugue before thanks to Bach, but I didn’t really know exactly what it meant. Now I do! It turns out Wally’s got an extensive music theory background and he’s littered The Muses War with all sorts of musical references as you can see.

Wally’s a really interesting guy, and you can check him out at a variety of places on the web:

• https://wallbangercreative.com/

• https://shop.wallbangercreative.com/

• https://museswar.com/

• https://a.co/d/0fPifDIl https://a.co/d/0ddQ6yYc

Next Week’s Show

Next week we’ll have Lewis D’Aubin, one of the strangest and most twisted minds I’ve had the pleasure to interview. Want proof? Watch this delicious and delightful music video, the Zombie Apocalypse Barbecue!

He’s one of the guys behind Consortium of Genius, which is the best hard rock science fiction comedy group out there! Of course, as far as I know, they’re the only hard rock science fiction comedy group out there, but they’re still awesome.

Come join us as we talk more about music, especially Rush, because he’s a big fan of them too and the tour’s about to start!

* * * * *

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

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

It’s a cool day outside, and a cool weekend coming up. But first, here’s a picture of Wynnifred coolly keeping the dragons at bay!

This weekend is especially cool for me because my wife will be elevated to the Pelican. Those in the SCA are joining me in thinking, “That’s really cool!”

For those of you not in the SCA, what this means is she’s getting recognized for decades of work behind the scenes. Think of it like a knighthood, but for service instead of battle deeds. She absolutely deserves this, in part because so much of her work went unnoticed. That’s actually a good thing because if people had known about it, then likely something really bad had happened.

That’s why we’re closing the store this weekend (Side note: we’re closing the store this weekend). We’ll be out at the lake doing cool things!

Speaking of more cool things, A Lake Most Deep is on sale for $0.99 this week. Grab book one in the "Sam Spade walking the mean streets of a Balkan version of Minas Tirith" series here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCKVLPBL.

BalloonFest went about as well as it could have, given the weather. The balloons had no shot of flying. They can’t fly if wind at ground level is going more than 8mph because it’s much faster as soon as you go higher. This weekend, the wind was almost always in the 20s. Ah well. It was also hot, so attendance was down. Still, a lot of people had a great time.

I cut out at about 1:30, though, because it was also the granddaughter’s second dance recital. I earned huge Opa points because I scrounged up a bouquet of flowers at the last minute. She’s beaming in the pictures, and that’s the coolest thing all week!

I didn’t get as much writing or editing done this week, not surprisingly, and I’ll be short next week too. However, it wasn’t without some progress, especially in figuring out how I’m going to structure the next book.

With that, though, I’ve got more packing to do!

Rob’s Ramblings

The podcast this week went off the rails! Basically, what I’d planned wasn’t going to work so we made do. Cedar Sanderson and Mike Burke joined me for MADNESS! We talked about cheese, writing, cheese, books, cheese, movies, and also… wait for it… cheese! And Mexican food.

https://robhowell.substack.com/publish/post/198491403

Honestly, this was one of the best shows we’ve had, even though my internet died at about an hour. I suspect the MADNESS shows will become a staple with various guests joining me.

Guest Info

Speaking of guests, I had two awesome folks joining me.

Here’s Mike—I mean—Spearman Burke’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Spearman-Burke/author/B0CPT1ZQ6Q.

And here’s Cedar Sanderson’s website: https://www.cedarwrites.com/tag/sanderley-studios/. I’m pointing you there instead of her Amazon page because she’s way more than just a writer. She’s also an artist (made the dragon logos for our store), gardener, cook, and all sorts of things. Basically, she rocks.

Oh, and since the two recently put out a book together, here’s a link for Giant Counting Robots: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DP3LW97T.

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

My Weight Today: 310.8lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

Anthony’s BalloonFest is this weekend. I, in my infinite wisdom, volunteered to organize the vendors. Actually, it’s a good thing for everyone that I do this. I need to contribute to this town and I can do this job well, though you wouldn’t know it by this year. Ah, well. The cats will be herded and we’ll get better next year.

Did I mention cats?

We have this new toy for them. It’s got a thing in the middle that sends a fuzzy tail spinning randomly under the plastic. They rather seem to enjoy it. In fact, we can even use it as a distraction when we need cat-free seconds here and there.

Speaking of cats, I don’t think I mentioned this before, but our Wynnifred has been in some distress. She comes from a long line of cats with bad teeth and that particular chicken has come home to roost. We’re getting through this, and in many ways, she’s doing great, but it’s gooshy food going forward for the beastie girl.

And giving her the antibiotic provided some… interesting moments. Fortunately, claw scratches heal eventually.

Last week I announced that I am doing a series with Raconteur Press. This week I have a tentative release date: November 13th. Now that’s a tentative date and we have lots of stuff to get done between now and then, but it’s on the schedule! We’ll have more dates as books get in the mill, too.

2027 is going to be awesome for people who like adventure in Anglo-Saxon England. Again, thanks to Chris DiNote, Jonna Hayden, Cedar Sanderson, and Ian McMurtrie at Raconteur for all their work getting this project going.

This week hasn’t been as successful writing because of the work with Balloon Fest, but I have made progress. In fact, I overcame a bit of a hurdle yesterday in the plotting for Book 2 when I realized I had all the tools at hand, I just needed to use them.

Non-spoilery stuff I can tell you. The early 900s were a challenging time for Mercia. It had to ally with its traditional enemy to deal with the greater threat of a new enemy. Meanwhile, another traditional enemy, the Welsh, were as turbulent as ever. It’ll come as no surprise that the nobles of Mercia did not all agree with how to deal with the challenges, especially after the last king of Mercia died and his ruling line fell into disrepute.

It’s a great background for all sorts of stuff. Adventures! Plotting and adventures! Treachery and adventures! Love and adventures! Tragedy and—I bet you know what I’m gonna say next—ADVENTURES!

With that, I better get some words on the page before I get back to herding vendors.

Rob’s Ramblings

Kelly Grayson and I finally did a whole show! Go us!

We went hither and yon, then some more hithering with some yonning to follow. Usually, I have a Show Brief that helps get everyone on the same page. I had one of those, but we did a bunch of that stuff in the show two weeks ago. It might not have been a full show, but what we covered was pretty good.

So this time, we just went feral. This will come as no surprise to anyone, but Kelly and I both do feral well. Check it out here:

Upcoming Schedule

• May 19, 2026: Mike Burke helps me review the Astounding of July, 1946.

• May 26, 2026: Wally Waltner will talk about all his new stuff.

• June 2, 2026: Lewis D’Aubin will tell us about the Consortium of Genius! And we’re both Rush fans and the tour is starting soon.

• June 9, 2026: Up in the air at this point.

• June 16, 2026: Brandy Bolgeo Hendren, the big boss of LibertyCon, joins the show to talk about this year’s con, past cons, and whatever else comes to mind. I’ve been looking forward to this one because she’s awesome.

• June 23, 2026: Speaking of awesome, Melissa Olthoff comes on the show to talk about her new series at Baen, The Griffin Corps.

Kelly Grayson

Last show starred the amazing and only moderately terrifying Kelly Grayson. He knows wayyyy too much how to do harm to the human body, mostly because he’s spent his life fixing things that aren’t right.

Here’s his Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steven-Kelly-Grayson/author/B002K8XNYA.

Have a great week everyone!

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

My Weight Today: 309.8lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

Christopher DiNote and I had a great show on Tuesday, with a fun cool announcement for me. But first, the wife and I were putting the automatic solar door on the chicken coop and the kitties were very interested in what we doing outside.

As mentioned, Christopher DiNote and I had a great show on Tuesday. We talked about all he’s doing, plus a lot of music stuff, which you can hear in its entirety below.

But the big thing was the announcement of Shattered Spear, book 1 in a historical fiction series set in the early 900s of Anglo-Saxon England. Also of note, this is a boy’s story, part of Raconteur Press’s line of boy’s stories, something I’m excited about in its own right.

The truth is, prior to the grandbaby, I cared about children, but not the same way as I do now. I have skin in the game. Yes, she’s a granddaughter, but the truth is, girls love adventure fiction as much as boys do, so if you write stuff for the latter, you’ve also written stuff for the former. It has been important to me to make sure she, and perhaps her children, have something fun to read.

Why the 900s in Anglo-Saxon England? Well, that was my focus for what would’ve been my doctorate had I finished it. I find Æðelflæd, the Lady of the Mercians, a really compelling figure, which is why I focused my military history studies on Mercia as she (and her husband for part of the journey) drives the Danes northward.

My protagonist is an eleven year old boy named Eadward swept up in Æðelwald’s revolt of 902. His father dies defending the lands his father is sworn to protect from invading Danes, who also kidnap his mother in the process. Eadward ends up joining King Edward the Elder’s army as he chases down Æðelwald in the hopes that he can also save his mother.

Action, adventure, and danger! My kind of stuff to read, both when I was 11 and now.

Chris talked about how excited he was to read it, calling it “The Last Kingdom, but for boys.” That’s not a bad description.

Also, since these are aimed at school-age children, we will be providing a study guide. Actually, I’ll be providing information on Anglo-Saxon England and proper educators will turn that into study guides, especially for home-schoolers.

So, that’s exciting. I plan to have five, maybe six, books in the series, and the tentative plan is to release the first one Q4 of this year, with one a quarter after that. Note, that’s more of a back-of-a-napkin plan than one that’s set in stone, but it gives you some idea where we are.

Also, you’ll see a counter appear in my Information Booth tracking book 2 (and the others as we go along). I’m about 20% done with book 2 and making good progress. At least, I’m making good progress now. I actually started what will become book 3, but changed my mind on the timing. That means I’ve got something going there too.

Anyway, they’re all gonna come out in a regular schedule as determined by the amazing Raconteur Press. Thanks to Chris, Jonna, Ian, Cedar, and the rest of the crew that makes this boy’s line of books happen. It’s a great project and I’m honored to be a part of it.

I’ve also been writing at the space opera/mil SF that keeps pushing out for me. I don’t have anything on that, other than I keep putting down words, doing worldbuilding, and all that. It’s gonna happen. I don’t know when.

Plus, other things are going on. It’s been a weird time for me. I literally finished Shattered Spear in December. I had also been working on a contract job that got canceled, plus the end of Okkorim. It feels to people outside of here that nothing’s happening, but that’s totally not true. There’s an amazing amount coming, just not now.

But I guess I better get doing all that. Have a great week everyone!

Rob’s Ramblings

I had Chris DiNote, as mentioned, on Tuesday. We had a blast talking about all our influences, plus a bunch of music stuff.

Upcoming Schedule

• May 12, 2026: Kelly Grayson as we try to do it right this time!

• May 19, 2026: Mike Burke helps me review the Astounding of July, 1946.

• May 26, 2026: Wally Waltner will talk about all his new stuff.

• June 2, 2026: Lewis D’Aubin will tell us about the Consortium of Genius! And we’re both Rush fans and the tour is starting soon.

Guest Info

Here’s Chris DiNote’s Amazon page so you can find out all the cool stuff he’s done:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Dinote/author/B07QPTWCMV.

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

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive

Greetings all!

It’s been a fun, exciting, and busy last couple of weeks. But before we get into that, let’s have a cat picture, shall we?

This picture is apt, because at the very moment I’m typing this, Wynnifred is on my chest purring. My life is challenging at times, it’s true.

Bella is at the window staring at a neighborhood stray we call, imaginatively enough, Stray Gray. We feed her when she comes by, so she’s a bit of a regular. Stray Gray is a gray tabby, by the way. I know, it’s all so confusing.

I’ve been writing on this and that, nibbling away at a number of projects, as has been my wont of late. I’m not at my most productive ever, but I’m getting stuff done. By the way, what’s likely to happen is that 2027 will see an immense number of releases for me, as I clear through a bunch of stuff. I’m curious how that will affect things, but we’ll see.

Obviously, I had a great time with the NFL draft last week. I actually did three shows.

Here’s my recap of the first round:

It’s good that I did this, because for whatever reason, I don’t see that the actual first round recording went through. I did, however, do another recording for round 2. Here’s that one.

As a Cowboys fan, I was ecstatic to get Caleb Downs and I’m pleased with the rest of the picks. They all made sense to me, and that’s what’s important at this stage of things.

The NFL draft is an amazing game to me. It’s research, history, puzzle-solving, and so much more. It’s an extremely complicated game of Tetris, really, and I love thinking things through. I’ll keep doing these shows, not because I expect people will love them, but as an exercise in self-indulgence. I get to do that sometimes, I think.

We’ve got lots of stuff coming up in other business. May is just full! Mother’s Day, BalloonFest, and the SCA event (Valor) where the wife will be elevated to Pelican. Then Lilies two weeks after that, a quilt show the week after that, then LibertyCon, the Rush show in Fort Worth, and then the lead up to Pennsic!

So much great stuff happening not just with the writing but with all the cool stuff happening in my life! Assuming Wynnifred lets me get out of the chair…

Rob’s Ramblings

This past Tuesday, I hosted Kelly Grayson, sort of. The podcast had a number of technical issues, so it’s sort of ragged at the start and cuts out in the middle of things. Still, this is pretty good and we’ll have him on again on the 12th. Here’s the link:

Here’s the upcoming schedule for May:

• May 5th: Chris DiNote will join us for a talk about his own projects, but the line of books he’s helping publish. Plus there might be an announcement or two.

• May 12th: Kelly and I are going to try it again to get it right. Well, as right as two people not right in the head can get.

• May 19th: Mike Burke and I are doing a deep dive into the July 1946 issue of Astounding. Want to read along with us? Here’s the link: https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/luminist/SF/AST/AST_1946_07.pdf.

• May 26th: Wally Waltner’s going to join us live and talk about all his new releases, and he has some great stuff happening!

Guest Info: Kelly Grayson

Check him out on his Substack page here: https://substack.com/@kellygraysonauthor.

Also, take a look at his Amazon page here https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steven-Kelly-Grayson/author/B002K8XNYA, especially his new short story The Nosferatu Interrogative.

Have a great week!

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.

Rob Howell

Creator of the Firehall Sagas Universe

My Weight Today: 310.6lbs

• Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B00X95LBB0

• Website: robhowell.org

• Blog: robhowell.org/blog

• The Firehall Sagas: firehallsagas.com/

• Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/robhowell.org/

• Twitter: twitter.com/Rhodri2112

Weekly Update Archive