I've done a little tweaking in a couple of older chapters over the last few days but no major writing...until tonight. Only 2 3/4 pages and 1,125 words tonight but I can report that I've completed Chapter 11! Tomorrow night I will hit Chapter 12 hard and get as much done as I can. I want to have Chapter 12 done by the Sunday and have Chapter 13 started. I've only Chapters 12, 13, and 14 to complete and Crisis on Terra-Bravo will be ready for Kyle to do that voodoo that he "do" so well! (Okay, I just had to sneak in a "Young Frankenstein" reference.)
-----
While Kyle works on his writing/edits for Crisis, I'll be formatting Foothold on Terra-Bravo to take it cross-platform on Smashwords. It'll take a few days to get it into their format but it'll be work it if we can get more visibility and sales!
-----
Speaking of sales, sales of Foothold on Terra-Bravo have stayed slow this month with fewer sales than last month. Well, we'll see what happens starting next month?!?!?
-----
Nothing else new tonight, so I'm going to sign off and hit the showers.
Be careful out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
I'm Back!
Hello My Friends!
Sorry for the somewhat long absence. Julie and I had to take a trip to Southern Arkansas to be with Gary while he had some minor surgery. All is good! The surgery went very well and Gary will be back at school tomorrow! Julie and I had safe travels both ways and got to see Heather, James, Damien, and Aiden while in Camden.
-----
I did a little writing while there and some more tonight resulting in a total of 10 pages and 3,727 words. Woo hoo!!!
Chapter 11 of Crisis on Terra-Bravo is about 1/2 completed. I actually skipped ahead and wrote ALL of Chapter 15, the final chapter of the book, so that is drafted, if not set in stone. I hope to finish Chapter 11 tomorrow or the next night, then begin work on Chapter 12.
-----
Kyle and I attended the library's Local Authors Fair yesterday. There were 30 authors present from many genres with a few folks selected to read from their books. We were the only authors present whose book was solely e-published which surprised quite a few folks who stopped by our table.
We had three displays: 1) the cover of our book, Foothold on Terra-Bravo; 2) a synopsis of the book; and 3) the cover of our sequel, Crisis on Terra-Bravo, which is due out in mid-December 2013. We also had 3x5 cards with the cover of Foothold on Terra-Bravo on the front, where it's found, the price, and a QR code linking to the book on the Kindle Store. The back of the cards showed the cover of Crisis on Terra-Bravo and when it's due out. We also had card stock bookmarks with the same images and information on them. The library staff offered to make our remaining bookmarks available at their front desk.
We've picked up three sales since the event so it did us some good. Advertising never hurts!
-----
As I've mentioned, Kyle and I have decided to take Foothold cross-platform in the very near future. We'll still be available on Kindle, just not exclusive there. By broadening the available audience we hope to pick up more sales. All future Terra-Bravo stories will be available from a variety of sources as will other books I plan to write and publish. More to follow soon!
-----
Well, that's enough for tonight!
Be safe, everyone!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Sorry for the somewhat long absence. Julie and I had to take a trip to Southern Arkansas to be with Gary while he had some minor surgery. All is good! The surgery went very well and Gary will be back at school tomorrow! Julie and I had safe travels both ways and got to see Heather, James, Damien, and Aiden while in Camden.
-----
I did a little writing while there and some more tonight resulting in a total of 10 pages and 3,727 words. Woo hoo!!!
Chapter 11 of Crisis on Terra-Bravo is about 1/2 completed. I actually skipped ahead and wrote ALL of Chapter 15, the final chapter of the book, so that is drafted, if not set in stone. I hope to finish Chapter 11 tomorrow or the next night, then begin work on Chapter 12.
-----
Kyle and I attended the library's Local Authors Fair yesterday. There were 30 authors present from many genres with a few folks selected to read from their books. We were the only authors present whose book was solely e-published which surprised quite a few folks who stopped by our table.
We had three displays: 1) the cover of our book, Foothold on Terra-Bravo; 2) a synopsis of the book; and 3) the cover of our sequel, Crisis on Terra-Bravo, which is due out in mid-December 2013. We also had 3x5 cards with the cover of Foothold on Terra-Bravo on the front, where it's found, the price, and a QR code linking to the book on the Kindle Store. The back of the cards showed the cover of Crisis on Terra-Bravo and when it's due out. We also had card stock bookmarks with the same images and information on them. The library staff offered to make our remaining bookmarks available at their front desk.
We've picked up three sales since the event so it did us some good. Advertising never hurts!
-----
As I've mentioned, Kyle and I have decided to take Foothold cross-platform in the very near future. We'll still be available on Kindle, just not exclusive there. By broadening the available audience we hope to pick up more sales. All future Terra-Bravo stories will be available from a variety of sources as will other books I plan to write and publish. More to follow soon!
-----
Well, that's enough for tonight!
Be safe, everyone!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tweaking? Tweaking!
With the first two parts of Crisis on Terra-Bravo roughed out, I turned to my outline tonight to revise the chapters in the final third of the book. It took about an hour but I think I've got it pretty well ironed out.
I didn't throw away the older material. I marked it for future reference to see what might be usable in later books.
Will pick up again Friday night and get started on Chapter 11.
-----
I've decided to take Foothold on Terra-Bravo "cross platform" starting early next month. To do that, I'll drop out of the Kindle Direct Publishing Select Program. The book will still be available through the Kindle Store but my royalty percentage will drop a little. Once the book has been formatted for Nook and Smashwords, it'll go on sale on their sites. That should pretty much give me 100% market coverage and I should more than make up in volume what I lose in royalty percentage.
-----
Going to get some rest. Y'all behave out there, now!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
I didn't throw away the older material. I marked it for future reference to see what might be usable in later books.
Will pick up again Friday night and get started on Chapter 11.
-----
I've decided to take Foothold on Terra-Bravo "cross platform" starting early next month. To do that, I'll drop out of the Kindle Direct Publishing Select Program. The book will still be available through the Kindle Store but my royalty percentage will drop a little. Once the book has been formatted for Nook and Smashwords, it'll go on sale on their sites. That should pretty much give me 100% market coverage and I should more than make up in volume what I lose in royalty percentage.
-----
Going to get some rest. Y'all behave out there, now!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Another Third's Done, Another Third's Done, Another Third Bites the Dust...
Hurray! I wrapped up Chapter 10 of Crisis on Terra-Bravo tonight thus ending the 2nd third of the book! Added another 3 3/4 pages and 1,401 words to the story.
I plan to work on the outline tomorrow night and adjust the final third. Then I'm going to dig in and git 'er done! Exploration, character and colony growth, and a ***** or two.
-----
Time to close up shop for tonight and get some rest.
Stay safe, my friends!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
I plan to work on the outline tomorrow night and adjust the final third. Then I'm going to dig in and git 'er done! Exploration, character and colony growth, and a ***** or two.
-----
Time to close up shop for tonight and get some rest.
Stay safe, my friends!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Customers are Speaking!
I've received a couple of more customer reviews on Amazon in the last week. The book received another 4 and a 3! A 3.7 overall rating isn't shabby.
One thing I am hearing is that they are eager for more! I intentionally ended Foothold on Terra-Bravo with a bit of a cliffhanger ending...common enough in literature and television. The good news is that Kyle and I have already started on the sequel, Crisis on Terra-Bravo! Mid-December can't get here fast enough!
Got 2 3/4 pages and 1,048 words in tonight. Should wrap up Chapter 10 and Part II of the book by Tuesday night. Will start Part III this weekend after a quick trip to Arkansas.
-----
To speed up things on the next two books, Kyle and I will sit down and do some strategizing and outlining over the Christmas Holiday for the prequel and second sequel books. Starting in January, he'll work on the sequel while I rough out the prequel, then we'll swap books. Should have both out before Summer 2014 if all goes well.
-----
Over Christmas Holiday, I plan to go full steam ahead on the instructor book and hope to have it out in late January, if all goes well!
-----
Enough for tonight. Peace out, all.
Oh yeah, let's be safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
One thing I am hearing is that they are eager for more! I intentionally ended Foothold on Terra-Bravo with a bit of a cliffhanger ending...common enough in literature and television. The good news is that Kyle and I have already started on the sequel, Crisis on Terra-Bravo! Mid-December can't get here fast enough!
Got 2 3/4 pages and 1,048 words in tonight. Should wrap up Chapter 10 and Part II of the book by Tuesday night. Will start Part III this weekend after a quick trip to Arkansas.
-----
To speed up things on the next two books, Kyle and I will sit down and do some strategizing and outlining over the Christmas Holiday for the prequel and second sequel books. Starting in January, he'll work on the sequel while I rough out the prequel, then we'll swap books. Should have both out before Summer 2014 if all goes well.
-----
Over Christmas Holiday, I plan to go full steam ahead on the instructor book and hope to have it out in late January, if all goes well!
-----
Enough for tonight. Peace out, all.
Oh yeah, let's be safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Busy at Work But not Much Writing at Home!
Wow! This week has been awesome at the office working on my three projects and making some really good headway with them.
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten much writing done on Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Haven't really felt like writing. Hopefully this weekend!
-----
Received another reader review on Foothold on Terra-Bravo! A solid "4" again. The fact that I happen to know the writer of the comment does NOT lessen the fact that I received another review!!!
-----
Received another Amazon e-mail advertizing Foothold on Terra-Bravo this afternoon. Really hope it's going out to more folks than just me.
-----
Hopefully will be able to report some serious Terra-Bravo writing tomorrow or Saturday!
Until then...stay safe!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten much writing done on Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Haven't really felt like writing. Hopefully this weekend!
-----
Received another reader review on Foothold on Terra-Bravo! A solid "4" again. The fact that I happen to know the writer of the comment does NOT lessen the fact that I received another review!!!
-----
Received another Amazon e-mail advertizing Foothold on Terra-Bravo this afternoon. Really hope it's going out to more folks than just me.
-----
Hopefully will be able to report some serious Terra-Bravo writing tomorrow or Saturday!
Until then...stay safe!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Not as Prolific Tonight, but Still Good!
Last night, I had a wonderful night of writing with 6 pages and just shy of 2,200 words. Tonight, I didn't do quite as well (3 3/4 pages and 1,370 words) but I still feel good about it. Last night I wrapped up Chapter 9 AND wrapped up Part One of the book. Tonight, I picked up the thought process and started Part Two! The second part of the book won't be as long as the first but will return to the exploration, technology, and sense of the unknown found in Foothold on Terra-Bravo.
-----
I'm planning to add one more writing project to my To Do List. For years, I have been putting together a short book on how to improve your instructional skills. I initially hoped to submit this to FPP and market it to firefighters. I've realized since that it can apply to anyone who teaches/instructs. Let me be clear here, this will not be a book about how to become a teacher/instructor. It is about honing your skills to be a better, more inspirational instructor who can reach the most students.
So I plan to generacize it and e-publish it. Should take about six months (to include some photography). The new plan is to start it in January while I'm working on the prequel to the Terra-Bravo books. I'll keep you posted.
-----
If I keep yawning as I have been, I'll put my computer to sleep without finishing this post to my blog. So with that thought I bid you all a good evening and remind you...let's be safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
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I'm planning to add one more writing project to my To Do List. For years, I have been putting together a short book on how to improve your instructional skills. I initially hoped to submit this to FPP and market it to firefighters. I've realized since that it can apply to anyone who teaches/instructs. Let me be clear here, this will not be a book about how to become a teacher/instructor. It is about honing your skills to be a better, more inspirational instructor who can reach the most students.
So I plan to generacize it and e-publish it. Should take about six months (to include some photography). The new plan is to start it in January while I'm working on the prequel to the Terra-Bravo books. I'll keep you posted.
-----
If I keep yawning as I have been, I'll put my computer to sleep without finishing this post to my blog. So with that thought I bid you all a good evening and remind you...let's be safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
The Muse Really Earned Her Title Tonight!
Wow! Guess I really needed a couple of down days to recharge the ol' writing batteries!
Tonight, I wrote 6 pages and 2,198 words in about 2 hours. As my old fire chief, Hugh Pike would say..."Mercy!"
Crisis on Terra-Bravo now sits at 162 pages. I still have a 3 to 4 chapters I want to write to finish the story but the sleeper agent story arc is about over. Huzzah!!!
-----
I'm kind of disappointed in the sales of Foothold on Terra-Bravo this month. Real slow with only 5 units sold thus far. Hopefully it'll pick up in the next couple of weeks and especially after the Local Authors Fair.
-----
I'm ready to called it an evening, folks. Y'all stay safe out there now!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Tonight, I wrote 6 pages and 2,198 words in about 2 hours. As my old fire chief, Hugh Pike would say..."Mercy!"
Crisis on Terra-Bravo now sits at 162 pages. I still have a 3 to 4 chapters I want to write to finish the story but the sleeper agent story arc is about over. Huzzah!!!
-----
I'm kind of disappointed in the sales of Foothold on Terra-Bravo this month. Real slow with only 5 units sold thus far. Hopefully it'll pick up in the next couple of weeks and especially after the Local Authors Fair.
-----
I'm ready to called it an evening, folks. Y'all stay safe out there now!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
An Experiment with Limited Success
A number of my co-workers bring lunches and craft projects to work and have crafting lunches in our conference room. In an experiment to save some time and (gas) money driving across town from work to home and back for a lunch, I thought I'd do some writing over lunch. I took my personal laptop to work so I wouldn't be using office equipment to work on my story(ies).
I've tried this on a few occasions and have come to the conclusion...it's just not worth it. By the time I set up my (older) personal laptop, get it up and running, and try to write while eating my lunch, I get about a page in before it's time to start shutting down and putting stuff away. I'm just not getting the page counts I was looking for.
So, I'm going to stay at the office for lunch to continue saving gas money and wear and tear on my vehicle. Instead of writing I'll just read a book and relax while enjoying my lunch.
-----
Foothold on Terra-Bravo picked up another sale this morning taking us to 60 units sold(!) and then this evening we got yet another sale!!! It's not melting the digital highway but it IS moving.
I'm investigating how much it would cost to have the bookmarks (and maybe the cards) printed at the local Staples instead of buying the card stock and ink and doing it myself. It would definitely get done faster and better quality but I'm not sure how much I'll be saving.
-----
Got four more pages written on Crisis on Terra-Bravo today! Probably 10 - 15 more pages of the sleeper agent storyline and then back to more exploring and other adventure with strange and exotic animals.
-----
Enough for tonight. Tomorrow promises to be a LONG day at the office!
Stay safe, my friends!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
I've tried this on a few occasions and have come to the conclusion...it's just not worth it. By the time I set up my (older) personal laptop, get it up and running, and try to write while eating my lunch, I get about a page in before it's time to start shutting down and putting stuff away. I'm just not getting the page counts I was looking for.
So, I'm going to stay at the office for lunch to continue saving gas money and wear and tear on my vehicle. Instead of writing I'll just read a book and relax while enjoying my lunch.
-----
Foothold on Terra-Bravo picked up another sale this morning taking us to 60 units sold(!) and then this evening we got yet another sale!!! It's not melting the digital highway but it IS moving.
I'm investigating how much it would cost to have the bookmarks (and maybe the cards) printed at the local Staples instead of buying the card stock and ink and doing it myself. It would definitely get done faster and better quality but I'm not sure how much I'll be saving.
-----
Got four more pages written on Crisis on Terra-Bravo today! Probably 10 - 15 more pages of the sleeper agent storyline and then back to more exploring and other adventure with strange and exotic animals.
-----
Enough for tonight. Tomorrow promises to be a LONG day at the office!
Stay safe, my friends!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Got Some Work Done TODAY!
Had a good day at the office today getting a chapter and a half of images selected and illustrations drafted! Yay me!
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Got 3 pages and 1,189 words written today on Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Not great, but NOT bad! I'm close to wrapping up the sleeper agent storyline (YAY!) and looking forward to getting back to exploration and growth of the colony.
-----
Enough for tonight.
Stay safe out there, folks!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
-----
Got 3 pages and 1,189 words written today on Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Not great, but NOT bad! I'm close to wrapping up the sleeper agent storyline (YAY!) and looking forward to getting back to exploration and growth of the colony.
-----
Enough for tonight.
Stay safe out there, folks!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
A Slow Couple of Days
Our daughter was in town over the weekend, so I didn't get much writing done. Got a little more in tonight but am too tired to write coherently. Am going to turn in soon.
I'll get more done tomorrow night...I promise!
-----
Everybody stay safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
I'll get more done tomorrow night...I promise!
-----
Everybody stay safe out there!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
I Have More to Add...
Over the past two days, I've written 5 pages and 1,945 words for Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Total page count thus far is 147 pages. Still on track for the mid-December.
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Sales on Foothold on Terra-Bravo were slow in September (only 20 units) but should be enough with the August sales (37 units) for Kyle and I to get our first royalty check. I plan to put my share into some advertising (local and online).
-----
I plan to drop by the library tomorrow and talk with them about the Local Authors Fair. I'm going to make up some 3x5 cards with the cover to Foothold on the front, where it's available, and price (plus QR code link to the Kindle Store!). The back will have Coming in December 2013! at the top, the cover to Crisis in the middle, and some additional wording beneath the cover. Someone recommended making bookmarks which I plan to do as well with a similar design. Hope to order the cardstock this week.
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My thoughts and prayers go out to my family and friends affected by the government shutdown.
Stay safe!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
-----
Sales on Foothold on Terra-Bravo were slow in September (only 20 units) but should be enough with the August sales (37 units) for Kyle and I to get our first royalty check. I plan to put my share into some advertising (local and online).
-----
I plan to drop by the library tomorrow and talk with them about the Local Authors Fair. I'm going to make up some 3x5 cards with the cover to Foothold on the front, where it's available, and price (plus QR code link to the Kindle Store!). The back will have Coming in December 2013! at the top, the cover to Crisis in the middle, and some additional wording beneath the cover. Someone recommended making bookmarks which I plan to do as well with a similar design. Hope to order the cardstock this week.
-----
My thoughts and prayers go out to my family and friends affected by the government shutdown.
Stay safe!
Jeff
© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2013
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