From the Desk of J.M. Poole

Hey, everyone!

As the title implies, I hope to have not one but two releases for you by the end of this month.  The next installment in the Tales of Lentari series, Close Encounters of the Magical Kind, is finished and is in the hands of my primary proofer.  As soon as she’s done then it’ll be released to the members of the Posse and they’ll go through it with a fine tooth comb.  Then it’ll be released.

The 2nd title is still being worked on but I have faith that I’ll be able to get it released by the end of the month.  Yep, I thought that a book entitled Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy and Halloween would go hand in hand.  So right now I’m busting tail, trying to get that book done, too. 

Here’s a preview of the new mystery cover, complete with two corgis on the cover.  🙂

Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy

I’m trying to schedule some promotions for the first mystery novel and time it with the release of the 2nd, so wish me luck!

I’m also heading off for a bit of vacation here in a few days.  Will be back by the end of next week.  My plan is to get ToL6 out to the Posse before I leave.  Fingers crossed, people!!

Hi guys!

It’s been a busy summer for me.  I will say that’s the ultimate way to make time fly:  when you realize you don’t have enough and actually want it to slow down.

Fans of fantasy should be happy with this.  The 6th Tales of Lentari  adventure (title has been picked but is HIGHLY subject to change) is almost finished!  I’ve got one chapter left and then it’ll be off to the Posse to be picked apart.

Mystery lovers will also have something new to read here in about a month.  I’m about halfway through the 2nd novel in my new mystery series.  That one already has a title:  Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy (Corgi Case Files #2).  The mystery novels are significantly shorter than the fantasy stories I write, so I should be done with this one in a week or two.  And then the Posse will go through that one, too.

Stay tuned!  I’ll keep everyone posted on progress!  Also will be working on two covers.  Newsletter subscribers will get first peeks at them.  I’ll be running ideas by the Posse.  In case you were wondering, the Posse are a group of friends/readers who have agreed to lend me a hand to proofread the stories, compare notes, run ideas by each other, and so on.  Interested in joining the Posse?  Read through the previous blog entry and see what’s expected.  If you’re still interested in joining then drop me a line!

Also being a movie lover, I’ve watched a number of movies that had a lot of hype to them.  I’ll do something new and give you a one line review on each.

1. Independence Day – Resurgence:  dear God, don’t bother
2. Secret Life of Pets:  disappointed – more sad than funny
3. Ghostbusters (new one):  vindicated – shouldn’t have bothered
4. Finding Dory:  hysterical – Disney scores another hit!
5. Jason Bourne:  average – felt like a recycled plot
6. Central Intelligence:  predictable, but still hysterical

Have you seen anything good?  Want to recommend a new movie?  Leave me a comment!

J.

As many of you know, I’m a part of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast, streamed live every Tuesday evening.  I’ve learned quite a few things from the show and am starting to implement some changes.  One of those regards my beta readers.  And, before you ask, yes, I’m getting close.  🙂

Instead of selecting a number of beta readers, like I normally do, I’m creating a private Facebook group with the sole purpose of gathering some dedicated fans together that are always interested in reading/proofing my books.  Are you interested in joining The Posse?  Would you like to read the stories long before they’re released to the outside world?  Are you willing to leave reviews and share your experience with others?  You know what?  I’ll post a list of what I’m looking for.

Prereqs:

• Ability to spot typos, grammatical errors, continuity errors, etc.
• Unafraid to give me critique.
• Ability to leave reviews on major retailers.
• Ability to read/review stories in a timely fashion

Are you interested?  Leave a comment here!  I’ll be sending out invites to The Posse as soon as its created!  Thanks for your willingness to help me out!

J.

Astute observers might have noticed that www.Lentari.com now automatically directs visitors to www.AuthorJMPoole.com. Why make the change? It’s simple. Poor planning. 🙂

Lemme explain.

Back when I started writing I never imagined that I’d write/release/publish a mystery novel. I just figured I’d always stick to fantasy. Had I checked around then I would have seen that all the other authors were using their names as their main websites. After I published CCF1 I realized a change was in order. Lentari really doesn’t have anything to do with the new mystery novel so I had to come up with another name. And, wouldn’t you know it, JMPoole.com was already taken. So that’s how AuthorJMPoole.com came to be.

Now, in case you didn’t know, this website is a WordPress site. There are a few things you should know about WordPress. It really doesn’t like you messing with its innards. I thought for certain I screwed up the site on my first attempt to switch it to the new domain. Thank the Fates that Godaddy keeps 30 day backups. 🙂

I did my research for my 2nd attempt. Looked up notes from people who had already done it, printed out instructions, etc. It took a while but I got it moved! Now I can have a suitable presence online for readers of all the books. Works in progress, upcoming events, giveaways, etc. I’ll cover all the bases from this one website.

I’m also announcing that just as soon as my (2nd) printed proof arrives I’ll be hosting some giveaways. I’ll give away copies of CCF1 on Goodreads and on here. I’ve always been a fan of trivia. I’ll probably make you all strap on your thinking caps and answer a few questions. If you win, you’ll get a signed copy of the book!

I’m also toying with the idea of creating a section dedicated to PV and uploading some of the information I have in my binder. Maps, character profile sheets, business names, and so on. You wouldn’t believe the amount of info I have amassed as my wife and I plotted out the town. Thought it might be fun to share!

That’s it for now. Lentari is calling! ToL6 isn’t gonna write itself!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to drop a quick note to inform you all that my very first mystery novel has finally been published!  It’s now live on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Case-One-Eyed-Tiger-Corgi-Files-ebook/dp/B01F2SCM6Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1462237470&sr=1-1

Feel free to share the news, tweet it, blog it, or whatever you’d like to do on social media.  The more publicity it gets the better!

Now, here’s the unpleasant part.  For the first time ever I decided to enroll one of my books in Kindle Unlimited.  What does that mean to you?  Well, it means that it’s only going to be available to Kindle owners.  This was a decision I wrestled with for quite some time.  I’ve always been a proponent of releasing a novel “wide”, meaning available in all formats.  However, I have been curious to see how it’d do in KU, so I decided to give this brand new series a try.  If I don’t see any difference whatsoever then I’ll pull it from KU and release it wide. The time frame involved is 90 days, so I have to give Amazon at least 3 months of exclusivity.

For those of you that were beta readers, can I ask a favor?  Could I possibly get you to head over to Amazon and leave the book a review?  Early reviews are always a helpful tool to indie authors.   Again, thanks for helping me out!

This is the first of two beta-reader signups that I’m going to be holding.  If you’re here to volunteer your help, I truly appreciate it.  Just be certain you understand that you’re not signing up for both books, just one.

This is the beta reader signup for Case of the One-Eyed Tiger (Corgi Case Files #1).  This novel isn’t as long as my epic fantasy stories, and that’s because it isn’t (gasp!) a fantasy.  Yep, this is my first ever attempt at a mystery novel, written in first person narrative.  So go easy on me.

What’s expected:

• Checking for typos & grammar problems
• Continuity problems
• Plot holes
• Not concerned with giving harsh advice where necessary.  Trust me, I can take it.
• Be willing to fill out an Excel form listing what page # you found the problem, what type of problem it was, and why (only if you want to) you feel there’s a problem.

Still interested in signing up?  Leave a comment below so that I know you were here and have read the What’s Expected section.

Thanks in advance!  I look forward to working with you!  Stay tuned.  As soon as PoR (Tales of Lentari #6) is ready for beta readers, I’ll post a similar announcement!

J.