From the Desk of J.M. Poole

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

Disneyland certainly lives up to its tagline, doesn’t it?   And yes, I’m sure that some of you are now asking yourselves why, as a fully grown adult, am I such a fan of Disneyland?   My wife and I don’t have any kids.  This place is absolutely swarming with screaming children and exasperated parents.   Scents from every conceivable form of junk food assail the senses from all directions, from the moment you step foot in the park to the instant you leave.  So why, then, is it so appealing to me?  The answer to that is simply one word:  nostalgia.

I have visited Disneyland every couple of years or so since I was old enough to walk.  And, based on the photos my mother has shown me, even before then.    I count my lucky stars that Giliane is just as much a Disney fan than I am.  Walking around the parks (Disneyland & California Adventures) at our leisure, perusing through the plethora of shops, and riding our favorite rides.  Over and over, of course.  What does this tell you?  Yep, you guessed it.  You now know what my wife has known ever since she said I do:  I’m a big kid at heart.

Several months ago we discovered/subscribed to a YouTube channel from a group of people that call themselves “Fresh Baked Disney“.  This guy walks around the park, oftentimes with a friend or two, and documents the rides, the food he eats, the merchandise he sees, and so on.  The vast majority of the times he doesn’t have his kid with him, so this is taken from the perspective of an adult who is simply enjoying his experiences at the park.  He typically visits the park every Saturday, so did we find them yesterday?

So, with that said, who out there has been to Disneyland?  What are your favorite rides?  What are your favorite things to do here?  Here’s mine, in no particular order:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean
2. Soaring over California
3. Lunch at Blue Bayou
4. New Orleans Square (my favorite “land”)
5. Haunted Mansion
6. Splash Mountain

I hope you have a fantastic week!  Rest assured my wife and I will be.  Hmmm, I think another ride is calling my name!  Time to see if I can convince/bribe my wife into riding Grizzly River Run.  We can see it from our balcony at the Grand Californian Hotel!  You’ve never experienced the parks until you actually stay at a hotel in the MIDDLE of the park.  We have our own separate entrance to DCA!  How cool is that?   So, I will bid adieu.  We’re off to have some more fun!

J.

I apologize for not posting as much as I should.  No excuses!  My vacation is literally just around the corner and I cannot wait for it to begin!  My wife & I are Disney fanatics, so we’re heading to Disneyland.  We just became annual passholders, too!  Woo-hoo!

I would like to announce that my 3rd short story is just about finished.  Once it is, and I have it checked, of course, I’ll post it online here on the blog as a treat for the fans of the series.  Then, after I’m sure everyone has had a chance to read it, I’ll pull it and publish it through the typical channels.  What’s it about?  Well, let me give you a brief synopsis!

The Hunt for Red Oskorlisk is a fun, witty tale of two friends trying to win a wager.  What friends?  That would be Steve and Pryllan.  What’s the wager?  Well, it has been suggested that a dragon who carries a rider is much more effective than one who doesn’t.  How would a winner be determined?  By a contest, of course!   Be the first to tag the oskorlisk, or great sea serpent, during the Great Hunt and reap all the accolades that comes with it.  Be fortunate enough to tag the elusive and very rare red serpent and the contest is over.

Let the Hunt for Red Oskorlisk commence!

I was fortunate enough to warrant an invitation from Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, to put together a box set with some other authors and submit it to be included in a worldwide promotion Apple will be holding.   This promotion is slated to start today and last through October 14th.  Only 100 box sets will participate and of those, only 40 were coming from Smashwords.  Of those, there will only be 7 or 8 from each genre.

I was thrilled to death to be included.  I hurriedly contact several other author friends of mine and invited them to participate.  In less than 2 weeks Fantasy 101 was born.  Each of us submitted the first book in one of our series in the hopes that it will attract more readers to us.  I submitted Lost City.  Ms. Lindsay Buroker, of Emperor’s Edge fame, contributed Encrypted, Bill Ainsworth contributed Hemlock and the Wizard Tower, and Steve Thomas submitted his first Klondaeg novel, Klondaeg the Monster Hunter.

I just checked iBooks.  We’re holding at the #2 spot!!!!  If you go to the Bundled Books section under “Featured”, you see the different genres laid out before you.  Second row down.  Fantasy.  See it?  Makes me smile every time I do!!

Now, care to help a group of indie authors out?  Help spread the word.  Share with whatever media outlet you have at your disposal.  Let’s see if we can get Fantasy 101 to break into a few best seller lists, ok?

Thank you!  I hope you have a great day!

Direct iBooks link:  Fantasy 101 (SFF Box Set

iTunes link (opens in iTunes):  Fantasy 101 (SFF Box Set)

TGIF, people!  Everyone looking forward to the weekend just as much as I am?  Any fun plans?  My wife & I are finalizing our vacation plans this year.  We’re heading off next month so we’re lining up pet sitters, dog boarding, house sitters, etc.

What’s new with me, you ask?  Well, as the title of this entry suggests, I’ve teamed up with three other fantasy authors to come up with the appropriately labeled
“Fantasy 101” box set.  Myself and three others contributed the first book in one of our series in the effort to attract new readers.  Trust me, this ebook is well worth the piddly .99 cents we’re charging.  Why so little?  Let’s just say it was a requirement to participate in a rather large promo coming up in the middle of the month.  I was invited to join, and let’s just say that I jumped at the chance.  So three other friends of mine are coming along for the ride.

Many of you have probably read their stories, too.  I keep recommending them at the end of my books.  First up is a very talented author who introduced me to “steampunk”.  She has several series of books out that are expertly written.   Perhaps you’ve heard of her?  Ms. Lindsay Buroker.  The Emperor’s Edge is one of her series of books.  She’s contributed Encrypted, the first book in a new series of hers.  Well worth the time to check them out.

Also joining us is the author of the Maker’s Fire series.  Bill Ainsworth, writing under “B Throwsnaill”, has written Hemlock and the Wizard Tower.  Again, just trust me.  Read it.  You’ll enjoy it.  Merit for President – 2016!!  Better yet, buy our box set and help us hit the best sellers list!

Finally, we have Steve Thomas, author of the Klondaeg series.  His story, Klondaeg the Monster Hunter, joins the other three and completes our box set.  Humor, sarcasm, and a split personality talking battle axe.

As for me, I’ve included Lost City, the first story in my Tales of Lentari series.  I thought about submitting Prophecy (Bakkian Chronicles #1) but I think Lost City is written better.

Fantasy 101 will be officially released on September 14th, 2014.  Preorder it and help a bunch of us indie authors out!  You won’t regret it

Here’s the link on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fantasy-101/id915895127?mt=11

Thanks for all of your support!

J.

Ok, this next batch of questions could come from any of the 700+ movies on the bookshelves behind me.  So put on ye olde thinking caps!  Let’s see how good you people really are!

Question 1:
What was the name of Lt. John Dunbar’s love interest in the movie Dances With Wolves?

Question 2:
What is the name of the boat Lt. Cmdr Tom Dodge is given in Up Periscoope?

Question 3:
In the Hunt for Red October, what was the name of the nearly silent propulsion unit that allowed the Russian sub to run virtually undectable?

Get this one right and you’ll seriously impress me.  Here’s the uber-hard question:
How did Quigley respond for an advertisement for sharpshooters in Australia and why was Elliot Marston interested?   Extra credit:  how much was Quigley paid for just showing up?

Good luck to all!  Have a great weekend!

Hi, everyone!  Have you been enjoying your summer?  If you’re a fellow Arizonan, have you been staying out of the sun?  Man alive it’s hot & muggy out there.  *sigh*  I keep telling myself that its August now and it should start getting better soon!

I’m making huge progress on aPfyT!   Barring any unforeseen circumstance, I should be able to get this book released this year.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I WILL get two books released in the same year!!!  I’m really surprised to hear myself saying this, but I do think it is time to start thinking about what cover I’d like to do for Tales of Lentari #3.  Looking through the past covers make me realize how often I use dragons on the cover as there’s only one book that doesn’t feature dragons.  Well, aPfyT, while having dragons in it, will not feature our favorite wyverians on the cover.  I think it’s time for something new.  So the challenge is to come up with a fantasy element that doesn’t show dragons but yet still conveys the fantasy theme of the book.  I will have to start thinking about it.

Recently I asked for some name suggestions on Facebook and you guys certainly delivered.  I have quite a few in my notebook now and have already tapped into them to bring some to life.  I hadn’t realized how many names I was going to need, but as I keep writing I keep using more and more names so don’t be too surprised if I ask for some more help sometime soon.  And for those of you who are curious, I will say its getting more and more likely that aPfyT is gonna be a two parter!  I hope no one has any problems with that!

It’s still several months away but I also realize it’s time to start thinking about Beta Readers, too.  I already have a few lined up but I’m always looking for more.  Interested?  Email me at jmpoole (at) gmail dot com and let me know you’d like to sign up!  Make sure you let me know that your grammar skills are far better than mine.  Derek, no comments from the peanut gallery!

That’s it for now.  I wanted to let everyone know that progress continues on aPfyT and that I think you guys are really going to enjoy it.  I will post a sneak peek soon but I think, to keep the peace, the excerpt will be much shorter than what I typically post so that it doesn’t give anything away!  Again, feel free to say hello here or on Facebook!

Happy reading!

J.

Ok, is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen the movies?  I think it’s safe to say that there are more than likely quite a few fans out there.  I count myself as one of ’em!   As with the other questions I’ve asked in the past, the first question is easy and then gets more difficult as we go!  Now, let’s see what kind of trivia questions we can come up with…

1. In the original theatrical release, who shot first?  Han Solo or Greedo?
2. What species is Yoda?
3. What’s the name of the creatures that attach themselves to the Millenium Falcon when they were inside that beast on the asteroid in Empire Strikes Back?

Good luck!  Remember, no Googling if you don’t know!

Extra credit…  Stump the author.  Ask a question I don’t know (based on the movies and not the books) and see if you can stump me!  Let all us nerds and geeks show our true colors!!!

Hi all!

This post comes to you from northern CA where my wife & I are spending a few days with her family.  Everyone got their thinking caps on?  Here’s the next round of trivia questions!

1. In The Abyss, what is the name of the liquid Bud breathes in at the end of the movie so that he can descend to great depths to disarm the nuke?  Extra credit:  what’s the name of the rat who demos it first?
2. According to Avatar, what is the name of the mineral the humans are after and how much is it worth?
3. According to the T800 series terminator, what is the type of metal comprising the T1000?   Anyone who has seen the movie knows what I’m looking for!

Good luck!  I hope everyone is having a great week!

J.

TGIF, people!  Who’s looking forward to a fun  & relaxin’ weekend?  Anyone have any plans?  Gonna see any movies?  There are a few good ones out there that I wouldn’t mind seeing.  I’d love to see the new Transformers movie.  Now that Mr. Sourpuss, aka Shia whats-his-face isn’t it in, I might be tempted to see it!

Ready for the next round of trivia questions?  I’m going to use some Jim Cameron movies so put on ye olde thinking cap!  Ready?

1. When the terminator takes the phone in Terminator 2 to speak with the T-1000, what incorrect dog name does he give to verify that John’s foster parents have been killed?   Extra credit:  what should the name be?
2. What’s the name of the organization that Harry told his wife he works for in True Lies?  Extra credit:  what is the secret organization he really works for?
3. According to the movie The Abyss, how many nukes was the USS Montana carrying when it crashed?  Extra credit:  how many warheads per nuke?

Good luck, everyone!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

J.