Writer's Block!

Well, I'd hoped to have some real good news to report about the collection of science fiction stories I've been working on. Sadly, it isn't good news!

I've been suffering from a bad case of Writer's Block working on these...the first story in particular. Most of the stories for this collection have been ideas I've tinkered with over the years and kept putting aside. By making them short stories and combining them into a collection, I'd hoped to move forward with them. 

Nope! I just ain't feeling it!

It reminds me of my meeting with G. Harry Stine. He asked me which of his stories was my least favorite and I said "The Abode of Life", a Star Trek novel he wrote under his Lee Correy pseudonym. It was an okay story, but not great Lee Correy or great Star Trek...to which he readily agreed. Then he told me the story...of that story.

Back in the late 1950s, he'd come up with a story idea that he just couldn't get to work. He'd work on it for a time, then toss it up on the shelf for a few months before trying again. This went on for years! Then Bantam Books and Paramount offered him "an obscene amount of money" (his words) to write a Star Trek novel. So he signed the contract and sat down to write...nada! What to do? What to do? He leaned back in his chair and saw that old story up on the shelf. He pulled it down, "plugged in Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and the Enterprise" and danged if it didn't work! (Turned out to be his best seller AND Star Trek's best seller for a while!)

So...what to do?

For now, the older story ideas are "on the shelf" until later. I WILL work on one of the new ideas however...the murder mystery in space that Jimmie Badgett asked me to write. It's an intriguing challenge and I want to get it done for Jimmie. I've even come up with some interesting ideas in the last few days I want to try in it. More to follow!

**********

November roared in like a lion with book sales then crept out like a scaredy cat. So, starting tomorrow night, I'm going to do extensive online advertising leading up to Christmas. E-books can be a wonderful Christmas gift and the major e-bookstores provide a means to gift e-books to others. 

So brace yourselves for an onslaught of Facebook and e-mail ads over the new few weeks for the Terra-Bravo Saga and the Arizona State Guard e-novels. Each of you has family and friends who are science fiction/adventure/action fans and now is the time to get them something new and exciting to read!

**********

As we head into the Holiday Season, I hope your Thanksgiving was filling and fun, your Christmas merry and bright, and your New Years safe and exciting!

Jeffrey 

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

I'm Back!

Greetings!

Sorry I've been away for a few days and haven't blogged. I went on a trip to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with two of my co-workers. While there, we worked with DFW Airport Fire Rescue personnel to shoot photos and videos for the new skill sheets to be in the 6th edition of IFSTA's Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting manual.

We were able to shoot the bulk of the skill sheets! My heartfelt thanks go to Captain Brian Canady and the personnel of DFW Airport Fire Rescue and to my co-workers, Leslie Miller and Nathan Chandler, for the hard work accomplished under adverse (extremely COLD) conditions. 

Next comes the work of shifting through the thousands of images to complete the skill sheets and the chapters of the manual. It'll take me a few weeks to accomplish this!

**********

I'll resume work on the short story collection tomorrow night. I was just too tired after each day on the photo shoot to sit down and do any writing on it. I hope to have the first story's initial draft done by Friday (Nov. 21st) and then move on to the second story, which has already been written but needs some tweaking.

I'm hoping by Friday to be ready to roll out the Kickstarter campaign to raise money for new covers for the e-books and for some online/print advertising. Sorry it has been delayed but other things seemed more important at the time.

**********

I received a pleasant surprise the other day. I was checking my messages on Facebook and found one from Mack Maloney, one of my favorite authors. Mr. Maloney is the author of the Wingman, Starhawk, and Chopper Ops series of action/adventure books. Awhile back, I wrote a Hubpage review of The Wingman series and he had found it on the Internet. He wanted to let me know that he had written some new Wingman stories and send me a coupon for an e-book version of one of them.

**********

Which brings me to speaking of Hubpages. I've written 43 articles on Hubpages over a variety of topics:
- Comic books
- Politics
- Book (series) reviews
- Movie reviews
- TV series reviews
- and others

Most of these articles are quick reads and can be found through my Hubpage profile at 
http://jayfort.hubpages.com/.

**********

November has gotten off to a slow start on e-book sales. I'm hoping this will pick up. (HINT! HINT!) Both Amazon.com and Smashwords.com (and other online e-book stores) are set up to allow e-books to be purchased as gifts. The Terra-Bravo Saga and The Arizona State Guard e-novels would be excellent Christmas (or birthday) gifts for those science fiction/adventure fans in your family!

**********

With the first blast of Winter upon us, I want to remind everyone to be safe out there when driving on snow or ice. And remember, watch out for the other guy who may not be as skilled as you are!

Until next time!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

Thank You!

Thanks to you folks, October was a good month for the Terra-Bravo Saga and the Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border e-novels. Let's get November off to a good start by sharing this post with family and friends who love adventure/action/sci-fi.

The new e-novel has been very well received and I can't wait to begin work on a sequel. (Although I have at least one more book in the pipeline before I can start it.) 

**********

The Terra-Bravo Saga tells the story of worlds that could be twins to our own.

Chaos on Terra-Prime: Ravaged by civil war and global crisis, American military personnel fight to return to America and secure freedom for themselves and their families.

Foothold on Terra-Bravo: The world of Terra-Prime descends into global war and a number of brave Americans set out to tame a newly discovered world in another reality.

Crisis on Terra-Bravo: The colonists of Terra-Bravo must battle a hostile world and sleeper agents in their midst, bent on sabotaging all that they have built.

Each e-book of the Terra-Bravo Saga is available through the following e-book stores for only $2.99 apiece:

- Amazon.com
- Smashwords.com

- Barnes&Noble (bn.com)

- Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)

- Versent Books (versentbooks.com)

- Kobo Books (kobobooks.com)

- Flipkart.com

**********

Torn from today's headlines:

- Growing divisiveness in the United States

- Federal policies destroying the American Dream

- U.S. military stretched to the limit

- Illegals flooding our unsecured borders

- Drug cartels terrorizing the southern border states

- Danger of pandemic within the United States

- The growing threat of Radical Islamists around the globe

War weary Major Marcus A. Roman returns home to Arizona, ready to move on with his life. The former Special Forces operative finds his home state besieged on many levels. When the Federal Government fails to protect its citizens along the border with Mexico, Arizona's governor and legislature take steps to protect the citizens of the Grand Canyon State. Marcus and his family are drawn into the crossfire when he and his father are recruited to help form the state's new first-line of defense...the Arizona State Guard!

The Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border is available through the following e-book stores for only $3.99:

- Amazon.com
- Smashwords.com

- Barnes&Noble (bn.com)

- Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)

- Versent Books (versentbooks.com)

- Kobo Books (kobobooks.com)

- Flipkart.com

**********

I've started writing my next e-book which will be a collection of science fiction short stories I've fiddled with for years. Time to get them finalized and e-published. No projected e-pub date yet.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th! 

I'll be out-of-pocket the following week doing a photo/video shoot at DFWIA for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting! 

Stay safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014