Of Writing and Artwork

Greetings!

I've had a busy past few days. I have begun writing the prequel to the Terra-Bravo Saga! As of tonight, the prologue and the first three chapters have been written. Of course, this is the first draft and I may revisit some or all of these chapters again before e-publishing. But, I feel strongly that I'm on track for getting it on the market in May.

Sadly, Kyle isn't along for the ride on this one. As I mentioned previously, Kyle is working to finish his degree this semester and between family, work, and school he is SWAMPED. I also mentioned how proud I am of him (and all of my children) for continuing their educations!

The story for Terra-Prime: Civil War is more military/action/adventure than science fiction (although some sci-fi elements will appear later in the story). Writing this one has given me some ideas for a new military/action/adventure series to follow the Terra-Bravo Saga (as I hinted at in my last blog post).

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If you haven't already, please encourage your friends and family members who enjoy sci-fi to read Foothold on Terra-Bravo and Crisis on Terra-Bravo. Both of these e-books are available in multiple formats
through the following e-book stores for $2.99 each:
- Amazon.com
- Smashwords.com
- Barnes&Noble (bn.com)
- Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)
- Diesel eBook Store (diesel-ebooks.com)
- Versent Books (versentbooks.com)


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I mentioned artwork above, so let me address that as well. As you may well recall, I've never been really happy with the covers for Foothold and Crisis. They were creations of necessity, not ability! Well, I've found a program that can help me with creating eye catching covers. I've downloaded the primary program and have begun playing around with it. I'll need to purchase some additional plug-ins (of course!) but I hope to be able to create new covers for my existing books and future projects as well within a few months. I'll keep you posted as time goes along!


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Big week coming up at the office as I get the lost components of Company Officer 5th and Chief Officer 3rd to Graphics for layout! Then I'll review the comments from two tech reviewers on the first 10 chapters of Company Officer. Hopefully, I'll have some time to start writing Chapter 9 of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting 6th. This is pretty much an all new chapter and will take some time and TLC to get done right!


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Enough for now! I need to turn in soon and get some sleep. Hopefully Julie and I won't be shaken out of bed by an earthquake (we've had several in the past two days!).


Stay safe, everyone!

Jeffrey 

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

Discharging and Recharging the Ol' Batteries!

Well, my hope of getting a lot of publicity out for the Terra-Bravo Saga during February never really came to fruition. It's been a hectic month thus far between work and home and my mind has been elsewhere. So what HAVE I been up to, you ask? Let's see...

- Editing and proofing chapters of Company Officer 5th edition. This next week will be even busier with this project getting the last seven chapters ready for layout.

- Final editing of chapters of Chief Officer 3rd edition. I hope to have this project ready for layout by the end of this next week!

- Writing/editing chapters of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting 6th edition and getting them ready for validation committee review and commenting.

- Finishing Honing Your Instructional Skills. Just need to do one final edit and do some photography for the cover! Hope to e-publish it by the first week of March.

- Started writing Terra-Prime: Civil War, the prequel to the Terra-Bravo Saga. Eight pages in with more to come in the days ahead.

- Came up with an idea for a new military-style adventure series and have been working on a series bible for it. More news to follow about this new series in the months ahead.

The more hectic my days are at work, the less I feel like writing when I get home. The story of my life, it seems. Some weekends are my days to recharge my writing battery, while others are spent writing.

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Foothold on Terra-Bravo and Crisis on Terra-Bravo are available through the following e-book stores for $2.99 each:

- Amazon.com

- Smashwords.com

- Barnes&Noble (bn.com)
- Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)
- Diesel eBook Store (diesel-ebooks.com)
- Versent Books (versentbooks.com)

Tell all your friends who love science fiction/military/adventure stories about the Terra-Bravo Saga!

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Weather here in Stillwater, OK, is going to be beautiful for the next week or so! Unfortunately, the local weather gurus refuse to give up on Old Man Winter just yet. (Last year we had snow in May!)

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Until next time (which will be much sooner), y'all be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

Winter's Baaaccckkk!!!

Another set of Winter storms are set to pass across the U.S. Once again, many of us are going to be stuck inside with only *gasp* a single Super Bowl to keep them occupied. But the storms aren't just this Sunday... they are supposed to happen one after the other over the next few days. 

So whatever can we do to pass the time? Well, for me, I'll be writing, working on another story. You? Well, I could suggest sitting down, picking up the old e-reader and reading some good ebooks. For those who love science fiction adventures, may I suggest the following:

Foothold on Terra-Bravo
The first book of the Terra-Bravo Saga.

As their world falls toward Armageddon, scientists in the United States discovers a means to transition to other worlds, alternate versions of their own world, each with some very interesting differences. One world, Terra-Bravo, has just come out of its last ice age. There, the Western World has never been colonized by humans while sabre-tooth cats, mammoths, and other extinct animals still wonder the land.

A series of teams are sent through the Portal to construct a colony and prepare for more colonists to follow. But time is running out for Terra-Prime and there are dangers galore on Terra-Bravo.



Many folks are voracious readers and one book might not be enough. In that case, download:

Crisis on Terra-Bravo
The colonists of Terra-Bravo discover a new danger, insurgents they brought with them from their homeworld. Can they discover who the insurgents are and stop their plot before the colony is destroyed? Will they be able to expand their colony without damaging Terra-Bravo?

Both books are available for $2.99 at
Smashwords.com
The Kindle Store (Amazon.com)
Barnes and Noble (B&N.com)
and other e-bookstores!

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I'm still writing, just not getting as much on "paper" as I would like. A mild case of writer's block. I'll plow on through though. Still have "Honing Your Instructional Skills" to complete before moving on to the prequel to the Terra-Bravo Saga. Kyle will be busy between family, work, and college this Spring so the third book of the Terra-Bravo Saga will be delayed until he's available.

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Until next time, stay safe and warm!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

Taking Your Mind Off the Polar Vortex!

Once again, a polar vortex has dipped down from the Arctic to cover the Lower 48  States with extremely cold weather! Let's face it...for the next day or so, it's gonna be COLD outside!

On a day like today, it's best to stay inside, stay warm, and relax. Maybe through on some background music, pick up your e-reader, and download a good book to read. Say something like...

Foothold on Terra-Bravo! - First book of the new Terra-Bravo Saga. It has science, it has fiction. There's action aplenty and a new world to colonize!

Of course, many of us are voracious readers and one book might not be enough. In that case, download...

Crisis on Terra-Bravo! - Our intrepid colonists find danger and adventure galore as the face the dangers of Terra-Bravo and insurgents they brought with them from their homeworld.

Both books are available for $2.99 at
Smashwords.com
The Kindle Store (Amazon.com)
Barnes and Noble (B&N.com)
and other e-bookstores!

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And if you must venture out into the real world, remember...

Let's be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014

O...kay...What's This All About?

Interesting stats on my previous two blog posts:

My post, Welcome to 2014!, on January 6th accumulated 25 views (the highest thus far!).

My last post, Blatant Commercialism and Advertising My Books on January 12th has received a grand total number of views of...(wait for it)...(wait for it)...3. Yep! 3 whole views. Wow! 

Obviously, blatant commercialism and advertising are horrible words to use in a title. But, those of you who know me well, know that I am a straight shooter who calls things the way I see them.

Oh...well.

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Moving on! About halfway through Honing Your Instructional Skills. I have a couple of more chapters to tweak and then a couple yet to write. Need to get a good cover photo for this one. 

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Have taken some time to re-read (for the umpteenth time) a couple of my FAVORITE Robert A. Heinlein books. It's great to revisit DOUBLE STAR and TUNNEL IN THE SKY.

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Heading to Tulsa Friday for the IFSTA Winter Meetings. Will be meeting my new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (6th) edition Validation Committee. Here's to safe travels, effective meetings, and a safe return home.

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Be safe out there, folks!

Jeffrey 




© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014  
     

Blatant Commercialism and Advertising My Books!

Yes, it's that time again where I must employ blatant commercialism and advertise my books! Well, if I don't, who will? Right?

Hey, Science Fiction Readers!

Foothold on Terra-Bravo, the first e-book of the Terra-Bravo Saga, is available for Kindle at the Kindle Store at Amazon.com and in multiple formats for other e-readers at the following sites:
Smashwords (Smashwords.com)
Barnes&Noble (bn.com)
Sony Reader Store (ebookstore.sony.com)
Kobo (store.kobobooks.com)
Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)
FlipKart (flipkart.com)
Diesel eBook Store (diesel-ebooks.com)
Versent Books (versentbooks.com)
Angus & Robertson (angusrobertson.com.au)

Crisis on Terra-Bravo, the sequel to Foothold on Terra-Bravo, is available at:
The Kindle Store (Amazon.com)
Smashwords.com
Barnes&Noble (bn.com)
Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)
Diesel eBook Store (diesel-ebooks.com)
Versent Books (versentbooks.com)

....and soon to be available on several other sites.

Get Crisis on Terra-Bravo now for $2.39 (20% off the regular price) until January 23, 2014 by using coupon code YS52T at Smashwords.com.

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I've been busy of late helping my dear friends, Jimmie and Charlotte Badgett, with preparing their book, Forward Through the Fires of Life, for e-publishing. I think Jimmie and I have worked out the the final bugs to get it into Smashwords' Premium Catalog! 

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One more side project before I return to the Terra-Bravo Saga. Tomorrow night I start the final push on Honing Your Instructional Skills. I hope to finish it within a month and get it ready for Smashwords and Kindle!

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Al Brooks, my Air Force Fire Protection brother, will be promoted to Captain later this week at a ceremony in the civilian department he now works at. I'd hoped to be able to attend and pin on his badge but I must be in Tulsa at the Winter IFSTA Meetings at the same time. Al, it was an honor to serve with you, my brother! Congratulations!

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Let's be careful out there, folks!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014   

Welcome to 2014!

Greetings my many friends,

Sorry it has been such a long time since I've posted! Since my last post, I have:

- Gotten Crisis on Terra-Bravo finalized and e-published on Smashwords.com AND Amazon's Kindle Store!

- Spent about a week pretty much wiped out by the Upper Respiratory bug that's traipsing through the Fortney Family like Sherman's March to the Sea!

- Conducted editing and formatting on a book for two dear friends!

- Been trying to get the first 10 chapters of Company Officer 5th edition ready for layout!

- Enjoyed an abbreviated Christmas and New Years Holiday Vacation!

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Foothold on Terra-Bravo is now available in a number of formats at the following:

The Kindle Store (Amazon.com)
Smashwords (Smashwords.com)
Sony Reader Store (ebookstore.sony.com)
Kobo (store.kobobooks.com)
Apple iBooks Store (via iPad or iPhone)
FlipKart (flipkart.com)
Diesel eBook Store (diesel-ebooks.com)
Versent Books (versentbooks.com)
Inktera eBookstore (inktera.com)
Angus & Robertson (angusrobertson.com.au)

Crisis on Terra-Bravo is now available at the following;

The Kindle Store (Amazon.com)
Smashwords.com
....and soon to be released on the other sites.

Get Crisis on Terra-Bravo now for $2.39 (20% off the regular price) until January 23, 2014 by using coupon code YS52T at Smashwords.com.

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Once I finished editing and formatting my friends' book, I plan to work on my Honing Your Instructional Skills e-booklet. Hope to have it e-published by the end of January. Kyle and I have begun outlining Book III of the Terra-Bravo Saga and once Kyle has begun writing that, I will start on the prequel!

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Enjoy!

Jeffrey


© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2014