My Muse is Missing...But the Work Continues!

So my muse must be on vacation or maybe another assignment. But, while I only got a little writing done this week, I have got three books formatted and prepped for Kindle Direct Publishing's Print-on-Demand. Once I get all of them formatted, then I'll work on covers for each. Hope to have the others formatted/prepped within a couple of weeks!

Had some reads and sales this week. Not a lot but every page and every sale is important to me. I'm hoping by getting the books into print format will help add sales. Not everyone has a computer, laptop, tablet, or e-reader. And some folks (like me!) prefer the hardcopy format. (I know...how archaic of me.)

The paperbacks will cost more than the e-books. It can't be helped. There are printing and shipping costs that e-books just don't incur. But...it'll be cool seeing my books sitting on a shelf (mine, yours, a library's...).

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I also want to start recording videos for my Facebook and Amazon author pages. Now that the pergola deck is complete, it should be a great place to shoot them. I don't plan to do them on any set schedule...just when I have something to share. But they should be fun!

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Don't forget to tell folks about my e-books available at my Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

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Let's be safe out there, folks!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Keep Moving Forward!

Those who have watched the movie, Meet the Robinsons, will see that's I've lifted the title of this blog post from an expression used in the movie. (For those who haven't watched Meet the Robinsons, I highly recommend that you do so!)

Work on my (personal) writing career has slowed to a snails pace in the last few months. There have been a number of contributing factors to this but I don't want to dwell on them. Instead, I want to look at moving forward. I want to get the first draft of the sequel to Death Haunts the Stars done so that I can get it edited and then e-published. After that, I want to start work on my long overdue teen/steam punk story. 

I also need to get ALL of my current (and future) books ready for Print-on-Demand! This involves formatting them differently than the e-book versions and some cover work that I'm still not quite sure how it is done. (Sean and Kyle...HELP!!!) I think this may open up a new market for those who don't (*gasp*) have e-readers.

So, it's time for your ol' writer buddy to buckle up and Keep Moving Forward!

Meanwhile, my existing e-books are still available through my Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney. Check 'em out and tell folks about 'em! 

If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can download and read these e-books as part of your subscription. Don't worry, the KU program pays us authors for each page you read!!!

For those of you who live in Tornado Alley, Spring is in the air and tornadoes may be touching the ground! Be careful! For those who don't  live in the Tornado Alley, be safe anyway!!!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Kinda Depressed...

Only a couple of sales with the e-book sale this past week. Drat! Gonna have to come up with something new.

Meanwhile...

The following are still on sale:
The Arizona State Guard: Freedom's Forge: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

Death Haunts the Stars: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

The Terra-Bravo Saga (compilation): $2.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

The following have resorted to their original prices:
Chaos on Terra-Prime: $2.99 

Foothold on Terra-Bravo: $2.99 

Crisis on Terra-Bravo: $2.99 

The Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border: $3.99 

The Arizona State Guard: Target Terror: $3.99

All of my e-books are available through my Amazon Authors Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

Be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

E-Book Sale!

I'm doing another sale on my e-novels starting this week!

So once again, I ask you to tell your family, tell a friend, tell a phone, tell a vision, tell EVERYONE you know...my e-novels are on sale!

The Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 7th, 2017)

The Arizona State Guard: Target Terror: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 7th, 2017)

The Arizona State Guard: Freedom's Forge: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

Death Haunts the Stars: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

Chaos on Terra-Prime: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 7th, 2017)

Foothold on Terra-Bravo: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 7th, 2017)

Crisis on Terra-Bravo: $1.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 7th, 2017)

The Terra-Bravo Saga (compilation): $2.99 (8:00 a.m. April 4th through 12:00 a.m. PST April 11th, 2017)

Available on my Amazon Authors Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

Be safe!

Jeffrey 

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

And She Split...Again!

Well, my writing muse dropped by for a couple of days. She brought with her news ideas and some new pages for the sequel to to Death Haunts the Stars.

Then she split...again! Perhaps there's another struggling writer out there who needs her more at the moment.

But, all has not been for naught!

I've made some serious headway on photography and photo selection for Essentials of Fire Fighting 7th at the office. Got a bunch of images selected, storyboarded, and down to Graphics then set up some photo shoots for next month.

Friday marked my last full day in my old office. I report to work in the morning and get to watch them take my desk apart and move it, some shelves, a cabinet, and a bunch of boxes to...my NEW office in the West Wing of the Fire Protection Publications Headquarters Building. It'll take a couple of days to get unpacked and organized then back to work on Essentials and Facility Fire Brigades. No rest for me!

On the home front, I've been promising the Boss Lady a deck for a gazebo or pergola for sometime. She finally wore me down and I've been measuring and marking, pricing materials, and...starting work on the project. The four corner anchors are in, the outer frame is built, and the remaining lumber is awaiting a new day in my backyard. Tomorrow evening, I'll attach the outer frame to the corner anchors and begin measuring and cutting the remaining floor joists.

No Fortney project ever gets done without someone getting hurt. I got stung by a wasp or bee on my lower right abdomen and it's uncomfortable but not enough to stop me from my appointed tasks. 

Something nice about working on projects like this is that while the hands are busy, my mind can be thinking about some new ideas for the new novel.

Now if that durned muse would just drop by to help!

Enough for tonight. Back with another update soon.

Remember...let's be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Has Anyone Seen My Muse?

Muse: one of the nine inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts in Greek mythology.

If any of you have watched the movie Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John played a muse named Kira (Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance) who inspired Gene Kelly's character (Danny McGuire) back in the 1940s) and Michael Beck's character (Sonny Malone) in 1980. Hopefully, she helped others before the 1940s and in the years between then and the 1980s.

There was a time when I began putting my stories together for e-publication when my muse must have been hanging around night and day. The ideas and words flowed like a raging river.

Lately, I think she may be busy helping others and only drops by from time to time. I haven't done much writing in the last two weeks (or advertising for that matter). Then yesterday, I wrote 4 1/2 pages of new material for the sequel to Death Haunts the Stars. And, I feel like I've got a couple/few more pages in me today!

Well, we'll see...

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Sales and Kindle Reads have dropped slightly on the existing books. I guess the half of the population that would agree with my stories are now extremely happy and those who wouldn't agree with them are suffering mind numbing depression over recent events. (Not that they would buy my books anyway!)

I've put together a script for my first videos for my Amazon Authors Page and for my Facebook Authors page. Just waiting for a nice day to shoot them outside. Tuesday's forecast looks good!

My current novels can be purchased as e-books at my Amazon Authors Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney. Don't forget, if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can download and read my books as part of that subscription. 

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Spring is not quite here yet. It's been warm enough in Oklahoma that the Red Cedars and Bradford Pear trees are blooming. Have I mentioned that I'm deathly allergic to the Red Cedars and none too fond of the Bradford Pears? This year, my allergies resulted in an upper respiratory infection. Yuck! But I'm finally on the mend. Now the weather is turning cold again. Hopefully, I won't get a cold...

That's enough for now. Stay safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

A Great Week!

Greetings and salutations, everyone!

Wow! What a great week on so many levels. Lots to report, so let's get to it:

I made some great progress this past week on photography, photo selection, and drafting illustrations for Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th edition. Still lots to do but am proceeding at a good clip! I also got to represent Fire Protection Publications at Oklahoma State University's Author's Recognition Luncheon. Always fun and good eats, too!

I also made some really good progress on two writing projects at home. I got several more pages written on the screen play I'm writing. I'm not ready yet to say what it is I'm writing about but sometime down the line I will.

Made some real progress on the sequel to Death Haunts the Stars! Several new pages written and came up with some interesting ideas for the rest of the book. I've created some new and different characters and added some more natural humor to the story.

Also on the personal writing front, I've begun setting up things on my computer to layout my e-books for print-on-demand. Kindle Direct Publishing has begun a print-on-demand program where the print costs are included in the purchase price thus reducing the upfront costs for the authors dramatically. It's going to take some significant reformatting but it's doable. I've got some other things to do before I begin the reformatting but it's now officially on my 2017 to do list!

Sales and Kindle Unlimited subscription reads have been real really slow. I don't know if this is a post-election burnout lull or what. Meanwhile, I ask each of you to keep telling your family, friends, acquaintances, and everyone else you know about my stories! You've been fantastic and I greatly appreciate you and yours for your help! My current books can be found on my Amazon Author's Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney.

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Well, Spring is just around the corner. Things have been so warm in Oklahoma that plants are blooming and pollinating like crazy! Why...oh, why...does Oklahoma have to be home to so damn many Red Cedars? And why do I have to be allergic to them? The meds are barely holding this at bay this year.

Well, enough for today! Stay safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017