Let the Edits Begin!

Yep! It's that time in the writing process where the editor in me takes over from the writer in me. (Well, the writer will pop up from time to time throughout the process but...)

I'm going to get the advertising done, take Julie to work, and THEN I'll start the edits on Death Haunts the Stars! This will probably take me about a month depending on the muse. I need to tweak some character info and add in a few clues along the way. I figure it may add 10 - 15 pages in the process. Need to tweak the dialogue (of course!).

If all goes well, I hope to have  Death Haunts the Stars ready for a final clean up and formatting by end of October. That'll give Sean time to finish the cover design!

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Amazon.com notified me yesterday that I should be receiving my next royalty payment in a week or so. Yay! It's not a lot but it's more than the previous one so it shows I'm growing my customer base. And I want to keep that customer base growing!

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Speaking of Amazon.com, I've created my Author Page at Amazon. All of my books can be accessed through that page for purchase. I plan to include the link in all future advertising (like right now: www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney). I also plan to post some videos and other content on the site in the near future!

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Well, the Fortney Family has a running challenge with each other right now to see who can lose the most weight over three months. Over the last couple of months, I've lost a few pounds...only to gain it back. Lose a little...then gain it right back. It's been very disappointing, to say the least. 

On Friday, I bought myself a bicycle. Nothing fancy...a Schwinn Men's 27.5" Swindler. One speed...me!

There were some problems with the floor model but they had another in stock that they put together for me. Picked it up Saturday afternoon and went out to Boomer Lake for a ride while Julie went jogging. Had some issues with the seat, handlebars, and mudguards so I didn't ride very far. 

Tweaked each issue and went out for a ride this morning at Boomer. Rode all the way around the lake (3.07 miles) in a little over 20 minutes. Only had two spots (uphill grades: a foot bridge and a small hill) slow me down. The bridge I crossed while peddling but I had to walk about 150 feet of the small hill. The bike rode great!

Back home I parked it on the back porch. Went out a couple of hours later to take a photo of it and found the front tire half off of the rim! (Which is what appeared to be wrong with the floor model!) Tried to put some air into it with no luck. Pulled the tire and tube to find a 6-inch tube blow out! Went to the local stores and none of them carry that size of tube! So, I took the bike back! I'm going to do some research and find a better bike!

For now, guess I'll just walk while Julie jogs.

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Enough for now. Need to finish my advertising then start on the edits!

Stay safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2015

The First Draft is Done!

Yes! Your read that correctly...the first draft of Death Haunts the Stars is done! Hurray! Huzzah! Woot...woot!

So how soon is the book coming out you may ask? Well, the book isn't done yet...just the first draft. Lots to do yet!

First, I'm taking the next week off from writing on the manuscript. I do this to recharge the ol' batteries, clear my mind, and get a fresh perspective. Plus, I'm just gonna rest and read.

After that, the edits begin. I go back to the start and look at the draft one line at a time, looking for typos, grammatical errors, continuity errors, and so on. I also use this pass to add some new touches to the novel. In this case, I'll be adding some clues and diversions that will add to the mystery in the story. 

The third step is to make another pass double checking spelling and grammar. I'll also finalize the number of chapters.

While all of this is going on, I'll be working with Sean Fortney on the cover design. We'll get it right and Sean will provide me with a wonderful final work of art that will attract readers!

Last, but certainly not least, I'll finalize the layout of the digital file, create the linked table of contents, and complete the glossary of terms. 

So, as you can see, I'm still a ways off from having the e-novel ready for e-publishing. I expect to have the next two phases done by the end of October. The final phases may be complete as early as mid-November and I hope to have the novel e-published by the end of November!

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In the meantime, please tell your family and friends about my other e-books! 

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Summer is drawing to a close and Autumn is almost upon us! Take time to enjoy the nice weather before Winter comes-a-calling!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2015

Plugging Right Along!

Greetings, my friends!

Just a quick update and a little advertising this weekend. I want to spend some time this evening working on the new e-novel. 

I'm making really good headway on "Death Haunts the Stars". I've roughed out 126 pages thus far. I'm actually working around page 106 right now, since I've moved some material around. Several insightful moments have come my way in the past week that have really helped move the story along AND tightened the storyline significantly! My hope is that I'll complete the rough draft by late-September to mid-October, take a week off to recharge, then dive into the edit process! That should put me in line for a late-November to mid-December e-publishing date!

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In the meantime, if you are looking for something to read on your e-reader? Check out the e-novels of The Terra-Bravo Saga and The Arizona State Guard!

And by all means, please share these titles with your friends!

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Summer is winding down and cooler weather is fast approaching. Mowing today was very pleasant due to the cooler temperature and the gentle breeze. Looks like El Nino will be with us this Fall and Winter and could make our weather quite interesting! And please take the time to have your furnaces checked before they are needed! 

Until next time, let's be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2015

Another Update

Greetings and felicitations, oh readers!

Welcome once more to a quick update on my various projects...

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On the e-novel front, Death Haunts the Stars (the new name for the murder mystery in space) is coming along well. Already at approximately 110 pages in Word and still growing. As I get a better feeling for the characters, it gets easier to write them. The action and suspense are coming together nicely! I'm hoping this one will come in around 150 pages in Word which is a nice size for an e-novel.

Sean has come up with a really sharp background for the cover. He's currently working on the star vessel to be added to the background and then he'll come up with the wording style. Sean will no doubt pick a font that will really pop! I'm very impressed with his cover design skills and would love to see him continue doing covers for me and other authors.

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On the FPP front, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Sixth Edition is getting some minor tweaks before going out to print. Curriculum has done a bang up job on their components and I can't wait to see the manual and curriculum components when they're done!

I've finished writing the Fire Fighter I chapters for Essentials of Fire Fighting Seventh Edition. I'm helping prep the validated chapters for edits and then preparing to get photography underway! This Fall, I'll get the Fire Fighter II chapters finalized for committee review and comment.

Yesterday, we kicked off Industrial Fire Brigades Second Edition. I'm hoping my being on NFPA's 1081 committee will help make some changes to that standard which can then help us with the organization of our new manual. Working right now with the project's Lead Instructional Developer on the manual's outline.

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My Facebook pages for the Terra-Bravo Saga and Arizona State Guard series had a great week. My total reach for Terra-Bravo was up 2,250% and my total reach for the ASGuard was up 4,550%! Oooowhee! Way to go, my friends!

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Keep spreading the word, folks. It is greatly appreciated!

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Well, let me close this out for now. Here's hoping everyone has a great week!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2015