From the Desk of J.M. Poole

How many times have you started a new year, made a resolution or two, and promised to keep them?  Were you successful?  I fall into that category, too.  The difference this year, in my honest opinion, is that I really want this to happen.  This is not an I-want-to-lose-weight type of resolution by an actual determination to do something in particular.  What is it, you might ask?

I want to go pro.

That means no more computer tech.  No more helping little old ladies troubleshoot why their computer won’t turn on.  I truly want to become a professional writer, like several of my friends are.  So can I do it?  Well, it means an enormous amount of work.  I have to become more prolific in my writing.  More book releases.  More consistency.

I have more adventures set for Lentari, but I’m also itching to try something new.  I have a few possible stories that would make great books.  If I can increase my number of titles then I can certainly give it a try.

So, can I do it?  I sure as hell am gonna try!

That’s it.  That’s my resolution.  If I want to become a profressional writer then I need to write more.  I need to release more titles each year.  I need to increase my word count.  Exponentially.  It’ll mean a lot of work for me, but I think I can do it.

What are some of your resolutions?  Anyone care to share?

J.

How would you like to be one of the first people to own a signed print copy of A Portal For Your Thoughts (Tales of Lentari #3)?  It’ll be hot off the presses, I guarantee you!

What do you have to do?  Well, this contest will be open to any and all fans of the series, regardless of where you live.  To enter, all you need to do is to answer the following questions, which I will hide behind the collapsible bar:

Post a comment with your answers.  Try not to look at what everyone else has answered!

Good luck!

Ok, since I’m rapidly approaching tfe finish line for aPfyT, I thought I’d start offering up some copies on ebook of Lost City, the first novel in the Tales of Lentari series.  Here’s what we’ll do.  I’ll post some useless movie trivia and the first three people who answer correctly will win Smashwords coupon codes for a copy of Lost City (Tales of Lentari #1) for themselves or else someone they know.

Unless, of course, you just want to test your movie trivia against mine, which is completely fine.  If you’re playing for one of the codes just tell me.  🙂

Remember, no Googling!!  This is a test of your memory banks.  If you know the answer then post it below, along with your favorite Lentarian character, and you are entered!  Good luck!

J.

Oddly enough I was thinking about writing another post with more useless movie trivia and then a fan actually requested it.  So, put on ye olde thinking caps and let’s see how good you guys are!

Movie trivia:

1. What’s the name of the funky-looking knife in The Shadow?  You all know the one.  It growls and has a mean looking face!
2. What is the name of Inigo Montoya’s father?  My wife asked me this one a while back and I almost said I don’t know.  Inigo mentions it once in the movie.
3. What is the name of the underwater drilling rig in The Abyss?  Xtra credit:  what was the name of the surface ship that its umbilical was connected to?

Good luck!  Have fun and no Googling!!!   🙂

J.

Are you an indie author getting ready to release a book?  Whether it’s your first title or your fifth, there are always a list of preparations you probably go through to ascertain your launch is as successful as possible.  If you’d like to hear what we do (myself, Lindsay Buroker, and Jo Lallo) when we’re ready to release a new title then check out the latest episode of our Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast.

We take turns interviewing each other, asking about:

• Previous book launches.  What have we done?
• Current book launches.  What do we do now?
• What types of advertising do we or are we planning on using?
• And so on…

Ok, since I want to make sure everyone has a chance to read The Hunt for Red Oskorlisk I hereby offer these hints.  You probably see the special “Spoilers” links down below.  I’ve hidden the clues under a spoiler tag so that you don’t accidentally read more than you want.  Are you ready?  If you need help with decrypting the password protected post containing the short story then click on the first spoiler for the first clue!

Hello my fellow citizens of Lentari!  As promised, I have posted my third short story, The Hunt for Red Oskorlisk, free of charge to whoever would like to read it.  Oh, what’s this?  The post is password protected?  Well, whatever might the password be?

What could it be?  Well, since everyone did such a fantastic job translating the runes to learn what the title of the next full length novel in the Tales of Lentari series will be, I hereby propose another challenge:

The password

You might recognize a few letters from the book title.  What does this word mean?   The only thing I’ll say is that this unique word shows up in one of the books.  Good luck!

Hello all you fans of Lentari!  I thank you for your patience with me as I hurry to get ToL3 released as soon as possible.  Let’s just say that I’m rapidly approaching the home stretch.  My plan is, and has always been, to release it before the end of the year.

Now, with that being said, I have an announcement to make.  It’s time to release the title!  Curious as to what the 3rd title in my Tales of Lentari series will be?  Well, wonder no more.  The title is…

Not so fast, honorary citizens of Lentari.  You didn’t think I’d make it that easy, did you?  Let’s have a little contest!  What I have here is the title of the book, written in Lentarian dwarven runes.  They were created by the multi-talented artist Brett Gable, of Brett David Gable Illustrations.  Fans of the series will remember that Brett was the one who illustrated Lost City for me.  If you haven’t already, please head over to his Facebook page using the link above and hit the Like button.  He’s a very talented artist that deserves some recognition for all his hard work.

Let’s sweeten the pot.  The first person to send me an email with the correct guess for the title will win a hand-painted print of their name, in Lentarian dwarf runes, by none other than Mr. Gable himself!

So will I give out any clues to help you out?  I will, if necessary.  If no one is able to determine what the title is then I’ll start “hiding” letters throughout the blog until someone gets the answer.  I will make an announcement if/when I do start hiding letters.  I will say that you shouldn’t forget you already know the first letter of each of the five words.  If you do happen to guess the answer, send me an email (at jmpoole (at) gmail dot come) so others won’t be dissuaded in trying to solve the puzzle.

Have fun and good luck!

ToL3 title

If you’re an Indie Author then chances are you’ve asked yourself the following questions:

• How do I go about getting my manuscript self-published?
• What do I do about the cover?
• Now that I’ve published/released my book, what now?  How do I attract a following?

I was asked (& I accepted!) to be a part of the “Marketing SFF” group spearheaded by fellow authors Lindsay Buroker and Joseph Lallo.  What we (plan to) do is interview other authors and ask them what they’ve done, or are doing, to achieve the success that they have.  What’s important to them?  How did they make their covers?  What type of marketing have they done?

Thus far we have learned about the importance of editing, selecting the right book cover, how to find an editor, how to build up a fan base, what NOT to do when finding a publisher, and so on.  My turn in the chair happened last night.  If you don’t mind hearing my boring voice drone on and on then I would encourage you to have a listen!

Yep, that’s me.  Our hope is to help our fellow indiw authors avoid our mistakes, take advantage of our advice, and release a good quality book.  For those that’d prefer to download just the audio, here’s the link:

Download mp3 audio for Jeffrey M. Poole’s interview