From the Desk of J.M. Poole

I really hate having to do this, seeing how it adds a few steps if you’d like to leave a comment, but I really don’t have a choice.  I’m getting slammed by trolls.  People are trying to leave spam messages left and right.  As a result I get a notification that there are messages – junk messages – waiting to be approved.  I naturally delete any spam.

What it means is that if you’d like to leave a comment on the site then WordPress will force you to create a user for this site alone.  Again, I apologize about this.  Trust me, if I didn’t have to then I wouldn’t.  Hopefully after a few weeks the spam will die down and I can lift the restrictions.

I hope everyone is having a great week!  

J.

Here it is, fellow citizens of Lentari.  Here’s the finalized, colorized, cover for Wizard in the Woods (Tales of Lentari #5).

Final Cover

The first colorized draft for the cover had it placed at night.  While it looked very nice, I didn’t want another dark cover.  I asked Rachel how hard it would be to make the time of day something earlier.  I asked for ‘dusk’.  Almost immediately I was sent this.  I immediately knew this was the version of the cover I wanted.

I’m getting reports back from my beta readers and have been implementing the changes as I get ’em.  So far they have spotted all the embarrassing mistakes that would have ended up making me look quite foolish, so for that, I’m eternally grateful.  You beta readers rock!!

For those of you not familiar with the characters in the scene, allow me to explain what you’re looking at.  Noticeable right off the bat is Peanut, the corgi.  I’m sure your first thought is that Peanut has grown in size.  All I’ll say here is that no, she hasn’t.  Of the four of them (Peanut, Mikal, Lissa, & Pravara), Peanut is the only one who has her proper size.  And yes, this is taken from an actual scene in the book.

I can’t wait to release it!  I hope everyone likes it!

J.

Hi, guys!

Well, here I am, rapidly approaching the finish line to my 8th book.  Wizard in the Woods is a fun romp featuring Mikal and a few returning characters, along with a couple of new ones.   My deadline to have everything done is  August 21st, ’cause that’s when I’m supposed to have the finished, edited, and proofed manuscript submitted to Amazon so I can easily make the release day, which is the end of August.

So, it’s time to line up some beta readers.  Many of you have expressed interest in helping me out.  For that, I am eternally thankful.  Nothing makes me feel better than having a whole slew of people anxious to sign up.  Therefore, before you add your name to the hat, let me run through what I’m looking for in a beta reader.

• Beta readers will have strong spelling skills.  I will be using my spellchecker but mistakes can and will slip through the cracks.
• Good English skills.  Do I have a fragmented sentence?  How about the wrong tense of verb?
• Able to spot continuity/plot holes.  Did I reference something but then never mentioned it again?  Did I leave a gaping plot hole?
• Able to offer critique without worrying about hurting my feelings.  Trust me, I’ve heard it all.  An unbiased opinion is worth its weight in gold to an author.

If you’re interested, even after reading all of that, then please leave a comment below and let me know you’d like to sign up.  On top of my normal betas (family & friends) I will typically select anywhere from 6-8 people and give them a .pdf of the book.  That way whenever a problem has been spotted you can reference a specific page number, paragraph number, line number, etc., and I’ll easily be able to find it.

Oh, as a reminder, the Daily Scroll will be going out tonight with the very first sneak peek at the cover.  It’s in early design stage, and the artist has given me three possible designs to choose from.  I’ll be going over each one and explaining what I like and don’t like, and what I’d like to see for the next attempt.  Want to see it and be involved in its creation?  Sign up today!

Thanks, everyone!

J.

I guess I’m used to Smashwords and their preorder process.  They’ll let me create a preorder with a publication date of up to a year away.  When I originally submitted Wizard in the Woods (ToL5) as a preorder I tried to do the same for Amazon, but was surprised to see that they will only allow a 90 day preorder.  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the big-name publishers & authors releasing books much later than that, but whatever.   Interested in preordering the book?  Here’s the Amazon US link:  Wizard in the Woods  and the Amazon UK link:  Wizard in the Woods   🙂

Yep.  Yesterday I took the time to submit all the files.  Well, obviously not the finished book file, nor the final cover.  The cover is just something I made ’cause I didn’t want to leave the cover blank.  What I’ve noticed is that there are a lot of times when you finish a book you enjoy, and it’s part of a series, then oftentimes you’ll look up the author to see what other books are out there and when the next one is due.  And, usually, if the next one is a preorder, they’ll go ahead and preorder the thing so that they don’t forget about it.  To me, that’s a valuable tool for an author to have at his/her disposal.

So will I be able to hit my deadline?  Will I actually release 3 books in one year?  Well, if I have my way about it, I plan on releasing 4!  We’ll see about #4, though.  As for WitW, I’ve already hit the 40,000+ word mark and am only on chapter 5.  I should easily be able to hit the 100k mark for this one but I won’t make any promises.  The last time I did that I fell short by about 5,000 words.  So I’ll zip my lip about it.  The point I’m trying to make is that I don’t see any reason why I can’t make that deadline.  In fact, I plan on having the book finished by early July.  Keep your fingers crossed.

The Goodreads Giveaway for a print copy of A Portal for Your Thoughts is still underway.  That giveaway will be going through the month of June, so if you live in the US and haven’t already done so, head over to Goodreads and enter the contest.  You never know!  You could be the proud owner of a signed paperback copy of the book!

I’ve already had some people ask me about becoming a beta reader for WitW.  I’m not ready to send out the call yet, but it probably will be in the next 2-3 weeks, so keep an eye on the blog.  I typicallly will take about 6-8 beta readers and those slots fill up fast.  Very fast.  I’m actually thrilled to death on how fast people volunteer to beta read for me.  Makes me smile, guys, so thanks!!

I think that’s it for now.  I hope everyone is having a great week!  Happy reading!

J.

Has everyone figured out what WitW stands for yet?  If not, hint:  you can find it as preorder at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple’s iBookstore, and a few others.  I’m working on making it a preorder for Kindle.  KDP Select (Kindle) requires a cover of some sort before I can do that, so I have to come up with some type of generic cover first.  As soon as I do I’ll release it as a preorder and then let everyone know.

How’s everyone doing?  Are you having a great week so far?  The temps are heating up here in AZ, but it isn’t too bad.  Yet.  In less than a month I’m expecting to have the AC on 24/7.  *sigh*   That’s what you get when you live in the desert.

I have a new Goodreads giveaway going.  It’s for a signed print copy of A Portal for Your Thoughts (Tales of Lentari #3).  This particular giveaway is open to residents of the US only, I’m afraid.  I’m trying to cut down on shipping expenses since the simple act of shipping one book overseas usually results in a bill that’s four times the worth of the book.  Crazy, I know.  And sorry to exclude some of you readers.  Please don’t hold it against me.  🙂

Here’s the giveaway details…

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A Portal for Your Thoughts

by Jeffrey M. Poole

Giveaway ends June 30, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

I’m still looking into the idea of getting personalized bookplates.  I’ve had quite a few readers want to know if they could purchase autographed copies of the books from me for their own collections.  As I was mentioning earlier, shipping in the US (Media Mail) is quite reasonable.  Get it outside the US and it becomes downright deplorable, so I’ve been looking into other options.  Another author friend of mine was saying the same thing and he went that route.  It’s working quite well so I’m seeing how feasible it is.

Remember, if you haven’t already, sign up for the newsletter in order to get the link to the free Tales of Lentari short story.  Hunt for Red Oskorlisk falls between the events of Lost City and Something Wyverian This Way Comes.   Wow.  Had to think about that.  Is that right?   I had to look it up on my iPad.  Yep, that’s right.   Also, if you haven’t already, please consider leaving me a review wherever you purchased the book.  Nothing will help an indie author out more than seeing positive reviews on Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or Kobo, etc.  If you liked it, or hated it, I can take it.  🙂

I still think it’s incredible that I’ve published 7 books and am actively working on my 8th.  Plans for the 9th are also underway and I am actively working on that story, too.  Yep.  Two stories at the same time.  I will warn you, though, ToL6 is going to be a little slower as this will be my first collaboration!  That’s right.  Another person is helping me write this one.  Who?  Well…  you’re gonna have to wait and see!!!

That’s all for now.  Feel free to friend me on Facebook or Instagram, or just leave me a message here.  Ask a question.  I will answer.  I promise!

J.

Greetings all you honorary citizens of Lentari!  The wait is finally over, although I think I need to point out the wait wasn’t too bad, was it?  I hereby broke all records and released a 2nd book in the same month.  Just don’t get used to it.  🙂

Thoughts for a Portal (Tales of Lentari #4) picks right up where the last book left off and answers quite a few questions, such as explaining what happens to Steve and Cecil.  You see, they had to…  Hmmm, that’d lead to a mother of a spoiler.  Can’t let that slip.   Mwahahaha…

What’s next for Lentari?  The next book has already been started.  WitW.  What’s it stand for?  Well, if you look hard enough, you’ll see that the title is out there for all to see.  You just have to find it!

I’ve also decided to add an incentive for those who sign up for my newsletter.  Hunt for Red Oskorlisk is currently unpublished.  As soon as I release another short story then I’ll consider bundling it together and releasing it, like I did with Disneyland Debacle and Winter Wonderland.  But as of right now, it’s just sitting on my desk, accumulating dust.  So I’ve turned it into a pdf and made it available for online reading.  New subscribers will be emailed a link to the story so they can read it.  Now, before anyone cries foul, I will say that if you’re already on the Daily Scroll subscriber list, and haven’t read the Hunt for Red Oskorlisk, send me a message and I’ll email you the link.

I think that will do it for now.  I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  Happy reading to all!

J.

It is late, so I’ll keep this announcement short & sweet.  A Portal for Your Thoughts (Tales of Lentari #3) has been officially released!  I want to thank everyone for their patience as I worked through some last minute issues to get the book released.  I hope you enjoy it!

If you do some investigating you might see that the sequel to APfYT is now available as a preorder, too.  Yes, if you look, you’ll be able to see the cover!  Wasn’t planning on mentioning too much about ToL4 ’cause it’s a direct sequel to ToL3.  So if you’d like, you can preorder your copy today!  It’ll be available to download on April 30th.  Yep.  Same month.  Crazy, huh?

I’ve also been lucky enough to be included in a multi-book bundle featuring some very talented authors.  There are 8 fantasy novels, ranging from steampunk, to dark, to light-hearted (yours truly), and so on.  It’s presently free of charge!  We’re all looking to expand our reader base, so if you have a moment head over to your favorite retailer and pick up your copy.  You never know!  You may find your next favorite author!  Here’s the link to the Amazon US store:   Quest – Eight Novels of Fantasy & Magic.

Have a great night!

J.

I’m getting ready to do my first ever character interview.  I thought it something fun to do, so if you’ve ever wished you could ask Steve, or Sarah, or maybe Rhenyon a question then Now’s the time to nominate your favorite character!  Whichever character gets the most votes will be the one who gets to sit in the Chair and be interviewed by the queen, who as many of you will know, cannot be lied to.

Who is it gonna be?  Let me know who your vote is for!  Any character in the books is fair game, no matter how minor a character they may be.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend so far!

I can’t believe I get to announce this, but guess what?  I’m now an active member of SFWA!   What’s that?  Don’t know what SFWA is?  It’s the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s of America!  It used to be only traditional authors could join as the association’s strict prereqs for acceptance had to be a publishing contract worth a certain amount of money.

With so many indie authors releasing books the association modified its acceptance guidelines to include self-pubbed authors.  We just have to show them that our income is at least at the same minimum requirements for a traditional author.

Well, I was able to do it!  Woohoo!  I get to participate in their forums, vote on Nebula nominated works, and so on.  There’s a legal team in your corner in case you ever need to consult a lawyer.  You’re amongst peers, so if you ever have a question, or want to run an idea by someone, that’s the place to do it.  It’s quite an honor, let me tell you!

Yep, you read that right.  I’m looking for Beta Readers!

I realize I haven’t even released A Portal for Your Thoughts (Tales of Lentari #3) and here I am, asking for volunteers to read through TfaP (ToL4).  Don’t worry.  I won’t be asking anyone to read through this until ToL3 has been officially released, especially since it’s the direct followup.  So no worries there.

What exactly are you signing up for?  Well, if chosen, I’ll need you to read through an advance copy of my next book, in pdf form.  I will also provide a blank Excel worksheet which you’d use to note mistakes.  What kind of mistakes?  They are as follows:

• Typos
• Grammatical issues
• Continuity errors
• Gaps in the story
• WTF moments…

Trust me, as previous beta readers will attest, I am prone to all manner of mistakes.  I know the list goes on but in essence that’s what I’d need you to do.  Also, I need to make certain you don’t have any qualms about giving critique.  I can handle good and bad critique so you wouldn’t have to worry about hurting my feelings.

Still interested?  Still want to give me a hand?  Well, I’d appreciate it!  Leave a comment below to let me know you want to sign up!  Thanks for the interest!

Don’t want to miss when A Portal for Your Thoughts is released?  Sign up for my newsletter!  The Daily Scroll will keep you apprised of all things Lentarian, including (but not limited to) book releases, contests, giveaways, news, insight into future titles, and so on.

J.