Category Archives: A Writer’s Life

Thanksgiving 2020

Posted on 21 November 2020 by Barbara Howe

The American Thanksgiving holiday is this coming Thursday. We have made some adaptations to our celebrations since we moved to New Zealand, but we continue to observe it, even though celebrating a harvest festival in spring does feel a bit … Continue reading →

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Banned Book Week 2020

Posted on 26 September 2020 by Barbara Howe

I was not thrilled when I realised that this year’s Banned Books Week (September 27 – October 3) was coming up. I have been making annual forays into the arena of banned or challenged books since I started this blog, but I … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: The Wordsmith

Posted on 29 August 2020 by Barbara Howe

Irene van Gelder’s drudge job is killing her, but how can she earn a living as an air witch when her own guild calls her a fraud? The Fire Warlock doesn’t ask for her credentials, but with tensions rising between … Continue reading →

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CoNZealand

Posted on 8 August 2020 by Barbara Howe

CoNZealand, the first online world science fiction convention, has come and gone. While there were some obvious teething pains, in general it turned out much better than I had feared. It wasn’t the same as meeting people in person, but … Continue reading →

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Taking Care of My Extended Family

Posted on 31 May 2020 by Barbara Howe

When I started this blog, I meant for it to be non-political. Advice I’ve read said don’t antagonise potential readers. That seems like good sense, and I’m not by nature confrontational. But now… Some things are just too important to … Continue reading →

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The End of a Long Journey is in Sight

Posted on 5 January 2020 by Barbara Howe

The end of my nearly ten-year trek through Frankland—the setting of the Reforging series—is finally in sight. I wrote the first scene in the first book, The Locksmith, in October 2010. The first scenes of the fifth and final book … Continue reading →

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GeyserCon 2019

Posted on 7 June 2019 by Barbara Howe

I went to GeyserCon—New Zealand’s 40th National Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention—in Rotorua this past weekend, and came home with a bagful of new books to balance on top of my already teetering TBR piles. Now if I can just … Continue reading →

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Trip Diaries

Posted on 16 February 2019 by Barbara Howe

Years ago, when I was single, I always travelled with a trip diary: a small notebook to record anything I wanted to remember about my experiences. I carried a camera, too, and took photos, but there are many things a … Continue reading →

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Resurrection in Progress

Posted on 15 September 2018 by Barbara Howe

You would think, wouldn’t you, that a computer science professional who’s been in the business for decades would know the value of backups? I do, and I have most of the content of my blog backed up on my home … Continue reading →

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ConClave3

Posted on 2 April 2018 by Barbara Howe

ConClave3, New Zealand’s 39th National Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, was held this past weekend in Auckland. I did not, as I had hoped, win a Sir Julius Vogel award for either Best New Talent or Best Youth Novel (for … Continue reading →

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