Of Past, Present, and Future Things!

Those who know me well know that I’ve been a storyteller all my life. I initially wrote them long hand on legal pads then later on a manual typewriter my parents bought me. My first (very) short story got published in the Arizona Republic newspaper back in the early ‘70s.

The dream of every writer is to get published. While the books I’ve worked on as part of my job with the U.S. Air Force and with Fire Protection Publications count as publication, I still looked forward to the day when I could add published novelist to my list of accomplishments.

The advent of e-publishing helped me achieve part of that with the release of my seven novels and sole how-to book as e-books through Smashwords.com at first then later through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Still, I felt something was missing. While I could state unequivocally that my e-books exist, it is as digital files, little combinations of ones and zeros. The only physicality they possess is through whatever device they have been downloaded onto for reading.

Now with Amazon’s Kindle Print-on-Demand publishing, my novels have physical presences as well as digital. There’s just something to be said for the feel of a paperback book, the heft of its weight, and the smell of new paper and ink! And now I have in my possession paperback editions of my first seven novels!

I have to give credit as well to my sons, Kyle and Sean. Kyle is my co-author on two novels, Foothold on Terra-Bravo, and Crisis on Terra-Bravo. He and I hope to visit Terra-Bravo again one day soon! Sean has provided covers for my Arizona State Guard series and Death Haunts the Stars. He’s working on the cover for the sequel to Death Haunts the Stars and is designing the intro for my videos. I owe them my profound thanks!

The one drawback to self-publishing is the lack of a dedicated sales staff working 24/7 to sell my books for me. I’m the one responsible for my advertising and the time spent doing it is time not spent writing! What I DO have is you, my family and friends who help me by spreading the word about my novels! I’m forever grateful for all you’ve done.

The next step is to become a commercially successful novelist! Yes, I’ve made (some) money from my book sales thus far. But, not a lot of money. So, in my next phase, I plan to look for additional means to advertise my books (in both formats). What will entail? At this point, I’m not sure…but I’m going to find out!

Meanwhile, please continue to get the word out to family, friends, and the miscellaneous mad scientists in your social circles.

Thanks!

Jeffrey

Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

The Past Week and Looking Forward!

So this last week has flown by...and not all in a good way:

1) My eldest son and his family were involved in a nasty car accident on Friday a week ago. They pulled over for an emergency vehicle and the idiot in the truck behind them was too busy fumbling for his cellphone to stop. He plowed into the back of my son's vehicle! The good news is everyone is okay. The bad news is my son's vehicle is totaled...because some jackass was messing around with his cellphone instead of focusing on his driving. Kudos the firefighters at Stillwater FD Station #4 who provided extrication and first aid to my family members.

2) Last Saturday, I went to Tulsa for the IFSTA Validation Conference. Spent Saturday afternoon through Tuesday morning with wonderful people making significant progress on a number of our IFSTA training manuals.

3) While I was in Tulsa on Saturday, the Missus called to say that our water heater died and was leaking. Fortunately, Julie, Sean, and Kyle were able to perform the replacement!

4) On Sunday, I received word that Kirk Harrigan (a friend, mentor, and Brother from my days at Davis-Monthan AFB during the early part of my fire service career) passed away. Kirk, our buddy Tim McPheron, and I rode Rescue together at D-M in 81-83. I credit them with getting my Fire Service career well into gear! Kirk will be sorely missed.

The good news from last week arrived in two parts:

1) The 2017 IFSTA Validation Conference was quite successful. Each of the committees meeting met or exceeded their validation goals. We had an awesome visit to the Fire Protection Publication office on Sunday. 

2) I got to see two more of my Print-on-Demand paperbacks sell on Amazon. I'm sure they're going to a good home and will look nice on my bookshelf right next to my other P-o-D paperbacks! (And I get some of my money back in royalties!!!) Have you bought your copies yet?

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Tomorrow night I begin editing Camadin Station Two: Last Stand! My batteries are recharged and I'm ready to hit it hard. I've given Sean my basic cover idea and am eager to see how he makes it come alive. More updates on edits and art in the weeks ahead!

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Speaking of my books and e-books, they are still available through my Amazon Author page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney! Please let people know about the site and my novels!

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Let's be careful out there, folks! Cellphone calls and texts are NOT worth someone's life. Remember your children and your pets in this Summer heat. Stay hydrated and stay alive!

Jeffrey

Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Newly Reformatted and Now LESS Expensive Paperbacks!

For those that read my last blog post, you know that I recently reformatted my e-novels for Print-on-Demand release as paperbacks. While I'm very pleased with the printing, binding, and overall look of my paperback novels, I wasn't pleased with their pricing. As published, they ran about $3.00 to $5.00 more than a conventional paperback. This wasn't Amazon's fault, when I prepped them for P-o-D, I forgot to modify the font size and line spacing of the body text throughout each book. (Hey, I'm new at this part of the busy!)

Yes, the paperbacks are slightly larger (5" x 8") than regular paperbacks and the print was larger and spaced further apart making them look like large print editions. But, that came at a price...they cost more to print. And thus cost my customers more money. The good news is that I'm the only one who's bought any of them.

So...

I've reformatted them (again) to reduce the font size to 11 and the line spacing to 1.15. This has reduced the overall size of each book by an average of 33%. With that, I can lower the prices of each of the novels.

The new paperback prices are:

       Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border ($7.99)

       Arizona State Guard: Target Terror ($8.99)

       Arizona State Guard: Freedom’s Forge ($9.99)

       Chaos on Terra-Prime ($8.99)

       Foothold on Terra-Bravo ($8.99)

       Crisis on Terra-Bravo ($9.99)

       Camadin Station One: Death Haunts the Stars ($8.99)

These prices are now more in keeping with current paperback prices. (Shipping extra.)

My novels (e-books and paperbacks) are available through my Amazon.com Author Page at Arizona www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney. Check 'em out! Tell your family and friends about 'em! 

Heck, tell EVERYONE about 'em!

Cheers!

Jeffrey

Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Of New Novels and New Formats...

Okay...so the title isn't as sexy as "Of Mice and Men", but it doesn't involve either, so who cares!

What it DOES involve are two topics dear to me heart: 1) my latest novel and 2) my existing novels!

1) The first draft of Camadin Station Two: Last Stand is COMPLETE! Finished it a couple of days ago and I'm in my cool down/re-charging phase before beginning edits. I've also got to come up with a cover idea to give to Sean to create an artistic masterpiece (as he does). So for the next couple of weeks, I'll be sketching (yeah, I know, scary huh?) some ideas. Of course, I'm a writer, not an artist so it'll be VERY rough. 

Camadin Station Two: Last Stand WON'T be a mystery. The best way I can describe it is...SPACE OPERA, much like the works of E.E. "Doc" Smith or Edmond Hamilton of years past. I want it to be a fast pace, roller coaster ride through part of a massive war in space.

2) On another front, I've recently made my current books (with the exception of the Terra-Bravo Saga compilation book) available as Print-on-Demand. I've already purchased three of my books (the Terra-Bravo Saga) and received two of them. They are nicely printed and bound, easy to read, and professionally done. (Props to Kindle Direct Publishing's Print-on-Demand division!!!)

However, I'm NOT pleased with the pricing of the new books which average about $3.00 - $5.00 more than a conventional paperback. A big part of this is the size of the books. I've chosen 5" x 8" which is slightly wider and larger than conventional paperbacks (and their smallest dimensions). But I was reading a paperback by favorite author G. Harry Stine and I came to a realization...I goofed!

In reformatting from e-books to P-o-D, I forgot to adjust my font size and line spacing! Examining a number other paperbacks in my library, I've determined that many use an 11 font size and a line spacing 1.1 to 1.2. I'd carried over my 12 font size and 1.5 line spacing. It may not seem like much, but in modifying my Word files for each book, I've been able to reduce the size of the books by an average of 33%!

That alone would reduce each book by 100 pages or more and fewer pages means it would cost less for each book to be printed. As the print price is incorporate in the purchase price, this will help me reduce the purchase price and encourage people to buy my books because they are priced closer to conventional paperbacks!

So, I'm working over this Independence Day Holiday to get my books reformatted and uploaded to Amazon's KDP ASAP to bring a better value to readers of paperback books!

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As I just mentioned, Independence Day is almost upon us. While some call it the 4th of July, once again I think people are forgetting the "reason for the season". We're not celebrating that it's the 4th day of July; we're celebrating American Independence from England! We broke from our mother country and began a journey into history that has seen this nation reach some pretty awesome heights (like the Moon and deep space, if you are a space buff like me!). Did we have some stumbles and bumbles along the way? Yep. And so have other nations. No one is perfect; but this nation has accomplished so much and, if we don't get side tracked, can accomplish so much more.

So I wish each of you a safe and fun Independence Day! Let's be careful out there...the fingers and ear drums you save may be your own!

Jeffrey


Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Still Plugging Along...and Plugging My Books!

Hi Everybody!

I skipped a weekend post. I just didn't feel like being crassly commercial on Father's Day! 

So...I'm BACK!

I'm still plugging along on Camadin Station Two: Last Stand. I've put together some of the front matter, added a Prelude, and am working on the big space battle in the penultimate chapter. This evening I hope to wrap up the battle and rough out the last chapter of the book. Then I'm going to add a log entry to the front of each chapter. Then I'll update the Glossary.

After that...edits! Plus a little extra writing. (I can't help it!!!) So maybe another month or so before publication. I have a short business trip in a couple of weeks, so I'll lose a few days of productive writing time on the novel (while working as an editor on my office project!).

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Please let your family members, friends, co-workers, librarians, groupies, roadies, and other various hangers-on know that my published books are available through Amazon.com in e-book and trade paperback editions. You can find them on my Amazon Author page here!

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It's proving to be a really nice Summer. Not too hot yet in North Central Oklahoma. For those of you in the warmer climes, please be careful with the kiddos and the pets. 

Until next time remember...let's be careful out there!

Jeffrey

Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2017

Another Childhood Hero Passes from This Mortal Coil...

Kind of a bummer of a weekend. Another of my childhood heroes has passed away.

Adam West passed away this weekend at the very young age of 88. To me and millions of other Baby Boomers, Mr. West WAS Batman. Perhaps not the Dark Knight Detective of earlier and later eras but a Bright Knight who brought laughter to our lives.

While I quickly saw through the humor of the Batman television program, it was one of my earliest entries into comic books. Years later, I (like many others) wanted to see Batman brought to life in a more serious manner. It took time, but it happened.

Still, the television show holds a special place in my heart! My thoughts and prayers go out to Adam West's family and friends in their time of loss. 

Rest in Peace, Mr. West!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 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