From the Desk of J.M. Poole

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.

My bad for flat-out forgetting to post about this once this went active.  I have a new giveaway!  It’s presently at GoodReads and is open to US residents only.  I know, I know.  I should open it to more countries.  Tell you what.  If I see a lot of people entering the giveaway then my next giveaway will include more countries!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Case of the One-Eyed Tiger

by J.M. Poole

Giveaway ends July 01, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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.

Happy Holidays!

What better way to celebrate the upcoming holidays than by having a trivia contest!  AND, why not make the questions about the Star Wars universe since the new movie comes out on Friday!  So, let’s see how much useless Star Wars trivia is crammed away inside your head.  Hopefully it’s just as much as mine.

Now, the rules:

• NO Googling.  What fun is that?  Try and see if you can answer without looking it up.
• No looking at other answers.  This is a test of YOUR trivia, not others!
• No changing your answer.  Any comment that has the word “Edited” next to it will be disqualified.
• Only one answer per person.  Choose your answers wisely, Padawan.

If there’s only one person who answers correctly then choosing the winner will be easy.  If there are multiple people who answer correctly then the winners will go into a hat and I’ll let Keeley the corgi choose.  What will you win?  A signed print copy of the latest Tales of Lentari book, Wizard in the Woods AND an automatic position as a Beta Reader for the 6th Tales of Lentari book as soon as I’m ready.  I also have a Goodreads Giveaway ending very soon, so I’ll ship both books out at the same time, which will be this coming Friday (the 18th).  Good luck!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.  My bad.  I can’t even begin to tell you how busy I’ve been.

I know.  Excuses, excuses.  However, many of my computer tech clients have returned for warmer climes so I’ve been forced to wear my tech hat longer than I normally would.  So, let’s recap.

1. Swamped with tech calls
2. NaNoWriMo month.  I refuse to quit.  🙂
3. Continuing with PoR (Tales of Lentari #6)
4. Convincing my father to trade in his flip phone for iPhone 6, setting up the phone remotely, and then training said family member on said phone.

I will also formally announce that I’m actively seeking Beta Readers.  But, before you get excited, this isn’t for PoR (ToL6).  I’ll make a separate announcement for that.  I’m actually referring to my NaNoWriMo project with will be finished shortly.  Corgi Case Files – Case of the One-Eyed Tiger.  My first ever attempt at a mystery novel.  I can only hope you guys enjoy it.

So, with that being said, if any of you would be interested in giving me a hand, please leave a comment below.  Remember, I’m looking for people with stronger English skills than me.  Spotting typos, grammatical issues, continuity problems, and so on.  Think you’d like to give it a try?  Let me know!

Thanks, guys!  I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far!

J.

This request goes out to all wine lovers out there.  A book I’m presently working on features a character living in a small community where there are several local wineries.  What are your favorite wines?  Are they from local wineries or are they from a well known brand?  I was looking for some ideas for some local wines for the town.

Let me know your thoughts!  I’m dropping the security down so that anyone can post.  Thanks in advance!

J.