Author Archives: Barbara Howe

Reforging Complete

Posted on 4 December 2021 by Barbara Howe

With the release of the The Forge, book 5 in the Reforging series, the series is complete! It has been a long time coming (I started writing the first book, The Locksmith, in 2010), and it feels terrific to see … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Thanksgiving 2021

Posted on 19 November 2021 by Barbara Howe

With the American Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week, I decided to share a few short stories I’ve enjoyed related to food and cooking. These are all online, to be read for free. Something to be thankful for! Bon appétit! … Continue reading →

Posted in Seasonal, Short stories | Leave a comment

The Relentless Moon

Posted on 6 November 2021 by Barbara Howe

In my last post, I wrote about The Calculating Stars, the first book in the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. That book had its good points, but I had some reservations about it. I liked The Relentless Moon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Mysteries, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

The Calculating Stars

Posted on 23 October 2021 by Barbara Howe

3 March 1952. A large meteorite hits Washington, D.C., wipes out most of the East Coast of the United States, and deals massive economic and emotional shocks to the entire world. The amount of ejecta in the atmosphere also triggers … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

Posted on 8 October 2021 by Barbara Howe

An empire subdues a new acquisition. The conquered people must send their ruler’s daughter to the empire to cement their new “alliance.” When the girl arrives in the capital, she is condescended to by the courtiers who consider her an … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy | Leave a comment

Banned Book Week 2021

Posted on 25 September 2021 by Barbara Howe

The first headline to catch my eye this morning read “Pennsylvania school district reverses ban on books by authors of colour”. Excellent timing for the beginning of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Banned Book Week. Feel like celebrating? I don’t, … Continue reading →

Posted in On Reading | 2 Comments

The City We Became

Posted on 10 September 2021 by Barbara Howe

The City We Became, the first book in N. K. Jemisin’s Great Cities series, is a love letter to New York City, in all its exuberant, chaotic, contradictory glory. And to city life in general. The idea here is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Urban Fantasy | Leave a comment

The Collapsing Empire

Posted on 20 August 2021 by Barbara Howe

Without faster-than-light transportation, is interstellar travel possible? In The Collapsing Empire, the first book in the Interdependency series, author John Scalzi imagines a strange phenomenon called “The Flow”, unknown to our current physics. Using normal rocket propulsion to reach a … Continue reading →

Posted in Space Opera | Leave a comment

Book Announcement: The Forge

Posted on 8 August 2021 by Barbara Howe

The Forge, the fifth and final book in the Reforging series, is scheduled to be released on 3 December. I’ve just seen the cover art, and it’s gorgeous: The artist, Catherine Archer-Wills, has done a fantastic job with all five … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Epic Fantasy | Leave a comment

The Stranger House

Posted on 24 July 2021 by Barbara Howe

Young Australian mathematician Sam (Samantha) Flood comes to the small Cumbrian village of Illthwaite looking for information about her grandmother, also known as Sam Flood. The older Sam emigrated from the U.K. in 1960 and died in childbirth only a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mysteries | Leave a comment