Meanderings of a Middle Age Mind: May 2017

Monday, May 29, 2017

Space Opera

Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, as well as chivalric romance, and often risk-taking. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it usually involves conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons, and other sophisticated technology.

While Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars was a mystery set in a science fiction setting, Camadin Station Two - Last Stand would best be classified as space opera. What I'm hoping for is an exciting, fast paced tale in the vein of E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensmen and Skylark series.

Edward Elmer Smith, PhD, was a food engineer who became an early writer of science fiction and is often called the "father of space opera". His Lensmen series revolved around two ancient and highly-advanced races (the Arisians and the Eddore) locked into warfare over billions of years. The Arisians begin a breeding program on Earth to create living weapons capable of defeating the Eddore. Key to this program is the Lens, a device worn on the wrist that gives the wearer various mental abilities to include mind-reading and telepathy. The Lensmen books are filled with courageous heroes (male AND female), villainous villains, and epic battles in space.

The Skylark series focused on the conflicts between the inventors of faster than light travel and an arch-rival. During the course of the stories, both sides create larger, faster, and more deadly spacecraft; locate new friends and enemies out in deep space; develop new technologies; and have great space battles!

I discovered "Doc" Smith's books in the mid-70s and found them to be exciting page turners, difficult to put down until I reached the end of each book!

And that is the kind of swashbuckling excitement I hope to bring to CST - Last Stand. For those following the novels development, you know it's been in fits and starts but I AM making headway. I'd like to have the first draft finished within a couple of months and then begin the editing process.

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Shameless plug:

My current novels are available through Amazon.com in e-book and trade paperback formats. If you're looking for new books to read, please check 'em out at my Amazon Author page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border (e-book: $3.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)
Arizona State Guard: Target Terror (e-book: $3.99 / trade paperback: $11.99)
Arizona State Guard: Freedom’s Forge (e-book: $3.99 / trade paperback: $12.99)

Chaos on Terra-Prime (e-book: $2.99 / trade paperback: $11.99)
Foothold on Terra-Bravo (e-book: $2.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)
Crisis on Terra-Bravo (e-book: $2.99 / trade paperback: $12.99)

Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars (e-book: $4.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)

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Today is Memorial Day, where we honor our fallen military personnel who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Please take a moment today to reflect on the lives of these brave men and women.

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Still Making Headway!

Been getting some writing in this past week on Camadin Station Two - Last Stand...the sequel to Camadin Station One: Death Haunts the Stars. Averaging about a page a day so I'm not setting any writing record but am making headway.

I've also put together some new ideas for the Young Adult/Steampunk novel I'm going to start after I finish Camadin Station Two - Last Stand. I can't wait to start this one. It's gonna be fun on many levels. Even more so because I'll get to do some in-depth research on my home state of Arizona!

And...I came up with another idea for another new novel!!! Had to get some notes down on that one to help me remember it later when I get to it.

Don't forget to tell everyone you know about my novels. The Terra-Bravo Saga, Arizona State Guard, and Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars are available in e-book and trade paperback editions through my author page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars (e-book: $4.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)

Hope everyone is enjoying their Spring. Have a great week and be safe!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Of Formatting and Moving Forward!

Greetings!

Getting my novels reformatted for print-on-demand publishing was quite a task, but one I'm glad I've done. It opens an entirely new market to me...people who:
1) Don't own an e-reader, cellphone, tablet, laptop, or computer.
2) Don't like to read e-books.
3) Like the weight and feel of an actual book.

The formatting itself took some doing but with each book it became easier to do. The hardest part was getting the pages to appear on the correct side (left or right) and getting the page numbering correct. The upload process into Kindle Direct Publishing's program usually went very smoothly. They even accepted my covers for The Terra-Bravo Saga books!

Then I had to review each book page by page to verify there were no issues. And, of course, there were some. An occasional variance in page numbering, the rare blank page where there shouldn't be one, and *GASP!* some typos!!!

All of which were actually pretty simple fixes.

It just took some time.

Time in which I wasn't working on the second book of the Camadin Station series. BUT...

Time in which I was THINKING about that story...and others!

I just saw a Facebook post from one of my favorite writers, John Ringo, where he tells his followers that his absence from FB was the result of spending time THINKING about new story ideas. Some of these ideas may end up abandoned, like others in the past, and others may evolve into other things. But part of being an author is spending time just THINKING.

I find some of my best story planning occurs when I'm doing something physical or repetitive:
- Going for a walk or a bicycle ride
- Driving
- Mowing the yard
- And yes, formatting my novels for P-o-D

So, going forward, I have some new ideas to put into Camadin Station Two, the sequel to Death Haunts the Stars. Part of this is to come up with a title. I thought up several over the past couple of weeks but they need some fine tuning.

I've also came up with some new ideas for my Young Adult/Steampunk series that I will begin working on once Camadin Station Two is published. I'm kinda looking forward to that new series as it will be set in the Arizona Territory starting around 1900.

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Meanwhile, I ask you to tell your family, friends, mail persons, hair stylists, Big Bang Theory fans, motorcycle gangs, and other significant others about my current novels...all available through my Amazon Author page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

- Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars (e-book: $4.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)

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Meanwhile (the sequel), get out and enjoy our Springtime weather! We've already had a tornado warning this Spring here in Stillwater. Whee!

Be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Good News, Everybody!

My seven novels are now available in trade paperback (print-on-demand) format!

As I mentioned the other day on Facebook, I've chosen a smaller trade paperback size (5"x8") and have selected prices that are similar to other trades of that size. Prices will range from $9.99 to $12.99. While significantly more than the e-books, it factors the P-o-D cost into the price since I can't afford print orders of sufficient volume to drive down the prices. I AM taking a smaller royalty than I could, but again, I want the books to be affordable.

- Camadin Station One - Death Haunts the Stars (e-book: $4.99 / trade paperback: $10.99)

You can access these books through my Amazon Author page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney. So alert your family, friends, neighbors, local comic shoppe guy, postal delivery technician, and everyone else in between. If they don't own an e-reader, a tablet, laptop, or computer and thus can't read e-books, they can now buy a paperback!

Thanks for your continued support!

Jeffrey