From the Desk of J.M. Poole

I posted about this on my FB page but also thought I’d bring this up here. Ever have an awkward moment of silence with a complete stranger? And I will preface this by saying it was a pleasant awkward moment for me. If I can describe a situation like that. 🙂

Anyway, I was seeing a client for my other job (computer tech). I fixed their laptop, encrypted their wifi network, etc. And before I left, the client’s wife approached me with her Nook and showed me that she had purchased/read all three of my books. She looks me pointedly in the face and inquired when the next book will be released.

Now, I have told some of my clients that I’m also a fantasy author, but I’m pretty sure I hadn’t told these two before. Actually, I’m quite certain of it. Anyway, I looked back at this friendly older lady and looked stupidly down at her Nook.

“You read my books?” I asked, sounding remarkably like a gawky teenager.
“Yes! I loved them! When’s the next one coming out?”

So my tech call morphed into a Q&A session about fantasy books, the steps necessary to publish a book, etc. I must have sat around their house for close to 30 minutes just chatting with them about being an author. I think it was the first time that I was recognized as an author. Logic would suggest that I must have told them I was an author at some point in time, but I just don’t think I did. Then again, as my wife wouldn’t hesitate to point out, my memory is going.

And no, I didn’t charge them for the extra time!

I also want to take a quick moment to offer a word of thanks for all the fans that stop by to see what’s going on! I’m seeing a lot of visitors from many different countries, which just thrills me to death! All across the US and UK, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon, South Africa, Chile, Denmark, Romania, and just recently, New Zealand and Finland! Woo-hoo! Thanks, everyone!

Not everyone observes Turkey Day, so I’ll just say that if you do, I hope you eat your weight in turkey!! Didn’t you know? This is one of the very rare days when calories don’t count. So pig out! Rest assured I was no different. I was fortunate enough to marry a girl who is an awesome cook!

Still, I’ve had a great year. Released my third book. My wife and I are in good health. I thought my dog Keeley had cancer earlier this year but turned out to be valley fever. Not pleasant but very treatable. Very thankful it wasn’t cancer. Ugh. Went to a bad place. Nevertheless, we have been very fortunate.

I enjoy interacting with everyone, so by all means keep the names, suggestions, and critique coming! As for me, I’m going to return to my pumpkin pie induced coma…

This can only be considered a good thing. Think of how many people live over there that love to read! It’s very exciting news, especially if you’re an Indie author, which I am. I know quite a few fans will be happy to hear about this!

So for those of you that would like to purchase my books in the UK, from Barnes and Noble, you can find them here! The latest book, Amulet of Aria, hasn’t shown up there yet, but it will soon. For now, feel free to download my first book, The Prophecy, free! It’s on me!

Whoops, should have started with this. Happy Halloween! I hope everyone stays safe!

The first time I asked the fans for a little help in naming a character for the third Bakkian Chronicles book, it was a huge hit. I had people from all corners of the globe giving suggestions. I used quite a few of them!

I’ve started working on my next book. It’s also set in Lentari. There will be a few returning characters but there will also be some new ones. Dragons, dwarves, and humans are just a few of the species who will be putting in appearances.

Think you have an idea for a character name? Let me know! It just might end up in my next book!

Hello everyone!

It’s with great pride that I announce the release of the third and final chapter of the Bakkian Chronicles!

Amulet of Aria was uploaded to Amazon a little bit ago and it just went live!  I’ll upload to Smashwords tomorrow since they require a whole different set of formatting.  Keep checking back to see which stores Amulet of Aria has appeared in.  Trust me, I’ll be on top of it!!

UPDATE:  Have submitted book III to Smashwords!  Awaiting Premium Catalog inclusion!

Stores available:

Amazon   Amazon UK   Apple’s iBooks    Barnes and Noble    Diesel    Kobo     Sony Ereader

The finish line is in sight. My wife has returned the last chapter to me and I’m plugging holes left and right. She’ll get the completed manuscript, from cover to cover, this weekend and she assures me she’ll be done by Sunday night. Then it’s off to my beta readers. They’ll have a week to go through it and suggest changes. Then it’s off to the editor, and if things go my way, I’ll be able to release Amulet of Aria by the end of the month.

I thought it’d be a cool way to follow progress by indicating what steps are left below and then showing which stage its at. So, without further ado, here are the remaining steps:

1. Finish the darn book.   Done!
2. Give the last chapter to my wife.   Done!
3. Last chapter returned, changes implemented.    Done!
4. Give completed manuscript to wife. Have her read from cover to cover.    Done!
5. Implement any changes from final perusal.     Done!
6. In the hands of the beta readers.   Done!
7. Implement any necessary changes suggested by beta readers.   Done!
8. Given to editor and is now being edited.     Done!
9. Follow editor’s advice and make changes.    Done!
10. Submit to Amazon & Smashwords and get the sucker released!     Done!
11. Finalize print edition and order proof copy!      Done!

In preparation of the impending release of Amulet of Aria, here’s what the cover is going to look like. Once again Rachel and her husband Richard have done an outstanding job on the cover. For those of you that didn’t know, Rachel is the artist that did the other two covers and Richard handled all the title graphics.

Cover for Amulet of Aria

Just got the high-res image that will be the cover for Amulet of Aria. Looks fantastic! Rachel did a fantastic job once again! Her husband has taken over and is now working on the title graphics. You guys are gonna love the finished cover!

My Beta Readers are standing by. My editor is standing by. Cover is practically done. Hmmm, what are we waiting on? *sigh* Oh, yeah. That’d be me. Well, in my defense, I’m almost done. 🙂

For those of you on Facebook, I have (reluctantly) been dragged into social networking, so if you’d like to add me as a friend, I’d appreciate it!

Thanks to the folks at CafePress, one of those websites that will let you design a line of products using your own graphics, the Lentarian Gift Shoppe has been born!

You’ll find journals, mugs, water bottles, mouse pads, hats, keychains, iPhone cases, and even iPad sleeves. I’m working on a couple of t-shirts right now. I was thinking of having a shirt that said “Honorary Citizen of Lentari” on it. 🙂

The gift shop is hosted at CafePress, and can be found here. I’ve added a widget to the blog here on this website which will pull up the same products. Click on the Gift Shop link running along the top or else click here to take a look!

J

I was recently interviewed by fellow author Mia Darien for her popular “Ten Questions…” series on her blog. She asked me five questions about myself and five about my writing and was then kind enough to post the answers. Click here to check it out!