What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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479.582.9268 5330 Willow Creek Dr Springdale, AR www.CreeksideOBGYN.com C E N T E R F O R W O M E N Kent Mason, MD Darrin Cunningham, DO Michael Clouatre, MD Greg Reiter, DO Ashley Mason, MD Samantha Corral, CNM Call 479.582.9268 to schedule an appointment today! Creekside Center for Women provides health care to women of all ages in a caring and inviting atmosphere. Visit our website to see a full list of our services, meet our doctors, and learn how Creekside Center for Women can provide for all of your reproductive and gynecological needs. C E N T E R F O R W O M E N Call 479.582.9268 to schedule an appointment today! Best of Northwest Arkansas the MEDICAL FACILITY and WOMEN'S CLINIC Best of Northwest Arkansas the Dr. DArrIN CuNNINghAM 6 WHAT'S UP! JUNE 7-13, 2020 Seven Minutes, Seven Questions 7X7 BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette R ob Howell and I met at a wedding in Fayetteville, way back in 2005. Sounds perfectly normal, right? Not really. We met because we — and all our friends — played in the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization dedicated to the study of the best arts, sciences, combat, archery, etc., of the Middle Ages. Long story short, we've been buddies ever since, and right now, when What's Up! has the opportunity to feature a wider variety of arts outside of Northwest Arkansas, I want to proudly introduce you to my friend, the successful author. His most recent book is "When Valor Must Hold," on which he shared editing duties with Chris Kennedy, but he is also the creator of the World of Shijuren and an author in the highly acclaimed Four Horsemen Universe. Meet Rob Howell, a Kansan who now lives in the suburbs of Kansas City. Q. When you were a kid, what did you intend to do when you grew up? A. Hmmm. I wasn't really drawn to do anything once I knew I would never play for the Cowboys. I waffled on majors in college, going from theater to physics to history to journalism back to history. I loved gaming, and still do, but I never thought that could provide a living. Oddly, though, playing Dungeons & Dragons provided a ton of wonderful experience for what I am now. My writing style is to put characters in situations and see what they would do. Basically, I serve as dungeon master and player and record how things go. Q. When did a love of books and writing take over? A. My love of reading is old, probably older than I remember. One of my first memories is reading Hardy Boys books when I was 4 and 5. I read pretty much everything I could throughout my life. I actually read less now than ever because writing takes up the same mental energy. Mostly what I read now are what I call comfort food: Robert B. Parker, David Weber, C.S. Forester, Dick Francis, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and, of course, Tolkien. Things I've read many times and just enjoy them instead of really reading them. As for a love of writing, that actually happened mostly by need. I was at a crossroads. My wife left me, I couldn't find a job because I was too educated, and I was fighting to do something with my life. I decided to write a novel — and when I was done, I decided to write another. Now here I am, finishing my seventh novel with a bunch of published short stories and a growing career. I started writing at 45 so I didn't have any time to waste. I treated it as a job from day one. I have never stressed about writing "The Great American Novel," but rather I have always tried to provide quality entertainment with strong characters, interesting plots, and exciting events. The fact that I keep getting more and more faithful When Rob Howell isn't writing about the World of Shijuren, he can often be found playing in the world of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of the best arts, sciences, combat, archery, etc., of the Middle Ages. (Courtesy Photo) Author Rob Howell GO ONLINE! Rob Howell Amazon author page — amazon. com/-/e/ B00X95LBB0 Website — robhowell. org Blog — robhowell. org/blog See Howell Page 40