Category: Writing

World Building: Website Design

On By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, World Building Wednesday, Writing2 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, how’s everyone today?  All’s going well in my neck of the of the woods.  Sorry this blog is going up late, had to deal with a slight family emergency.  Seems my erstwhile keeper locked her keys in her car on the way home from her sisters, several hours away.  Luckily the keys were in the car, one less expense!  As for The Sleeping Legion Series, I’m making adequate progress on book three.  Just shy of 40k words and with the wife home, and shedding the geographic single dadhood, I should be able to rock-n-roll.  Hopefully I can tame the Dragon, and make the dictation method work for me to speed up this spaceship!

 

Today I wanted to talk to you about the biggest part of my world building, the authors platform.  I’m not the most tech savvy guy out there, I’m practically a technological troglodyte.  When we decided to get a professional website, Team Handley picked what we could afford.  We were pre-revenue with the writing, but wanting to build everything up so we were prepared for launch day.  Ultimately, we went with WordPress because I already had a presence there and I didn’t want to lose that.  In the future, I’m not sure which hosting platform I would use but I love the friends I’ve made on WordPress so I think I’d keep that too, even if only the free part as a mirror to whatever follows.

 

After we set up our new website, we ran into struggle after struggle trying to figure it out.  When we realized that we would need help, we shopped around the best person for the job and found Matthew Wayne Selznick through my membership in The Listeners of the Dead Robot Society group on Facebook.  He first reached out with a few free tips, just one author helping another, until it became clear to me that he was the guy we would be hiring.  A few phone calls later, contracts were signed, initial deposits paid and our website was quickly assembled.  Seriously, in under two weeks we were ready to go.  Obviously making the site from scratch would take him longer but he was very forthright about everything.

 

If this strikes your fancy, if you’re interested in more, check out Matt’s websites!  Tomorrow’s post will be a follow on interview with Matt, so check back for more!

 

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry! 

brown_bess

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or used with the full permission of the owner, MWS Media. 

 

 

Tickety Boo Forum

On By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, update, WritingLeave a comment

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Hey Space Cadets, just a quick note to tell you that the gracious people over at Tickety Boo Press Ltd. have given me some space in their forums.  It’s designed to be a place for readers and writers and everyone in-between to chat about books and their love of the written word.  Pop over and say hi, leave a comment and join us in the usual shenanigans!!  Now, if you haven’t finished your gift shopping or wrapping… what are you doing in front of your computer?  GO!!!  Otherwise, click here to join us in the forums to talk books!

 

Also, check out the SciFi Explorations if you’re looking for science fiction deals.  It’s a mailing list that sends deals and recommendations to your inbox of the stories you know you’ll love.  If what I write is up your alley, then they’ll have many more recommendations.  Most of them, at least while they’re in the mailing, are on sale at a steal of a price.

 

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Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bessJR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.

 

Marine Monday: Basil Terloar

On By J.R. HandleyIn Marine Monday, Sleeping Legion Series, Writing5 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, how are you this fine Monday?  Still feeling the effects of the New Years Hangover?  I’m sober, and even have some blood in my whiskey stream.  My wife is out of town, so I spent a quiet night writing after the kids went to bed.  The Legion Awakes and Fortress Beta City are continually surprising me and I have you guys to thank.

 

First, let me give you a little bit of backstory about Fortress Beta City and Operation Breakout.  Those two stories started as one novel, until Boss Man caught on that I was about to write a Tolkien worthy novel.  After we split the two, Fortress Beta City became the story of the Marines of the 6907th TAC RGT struggling to survive in a doomed city.  The next half of what I plotted became Operation Breakout, where two task forces must fight to secure the continent of Serendine from the New Order.

 

I felt like the build-up in the second book made a lot of promises for the third, so I want to deliver.  Operation Breakout will be as high octane as I can make it, and then my editor will help me add on some dynamite for that little bit of something extra.  As I developed these plots, one of my secondary characters, whose whole purpose was to show how the lost Kalino City was different from Beta City and Detroit City.  The Auxies were treated a bit better and the culture was different, which likely led to Kalino City being lost to the ravages of time.  One of those characters was Auxiliary Technician Basil Terloar.

 

Basil was a cowering wreck, a pacifist in a world where the gun ruled.  He wasn’t like the other boys and girls, resulting in his being shipped off to the Aux Pens (slave pens) to be tasked with the manual labor needed to keep the cities alive.  That is, until that fateful day he met Veteran Sergeant Lance Scipio.  For a sneak peek into him, a look at how the sausage is made, here is his character sheet.

 

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I hope you found this peek into my process enlightening, and the character compelling.  If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

Guest Blog: JR Handley – Cadences, Chants Galore

On By J.R. HandleyIn WritingLeave a comment

Hey Space Cadets, I’ve written a blog for a friend and wanted to share it with you guys. Check it out, give it a read and join the conversation!

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

Steve Beaulieu's avatarHall & Beaulieu

Hello Space Cadet, today I wanted to muse about some parts of my time in the Big Green Weenie.  I tackle the role that cadences and martial music in the development of military culture and cores.  I hope you enjoy my ramblings, feel free to join the conversation afterwards!  Without further ado, let the ramblings begin.

Everyone who has ever served in the military knows a universal truth: the value of music.  You’re taught to march through music.  Yes, I know they stopped using marching bands to train with years ago.  Yes, I also know that they don’t even have lone buglers or drummers leading the charge.  However, we were all taught to march via the musical stylings of our sergeants or petty officers.  Shh, I won’t let on that I know your age (spies be spying yo) if you let me pretend everyone was smart enough to go Army! …

View original post 1,535 more words

Nick Webb’s Constitution deal, and my new book is out next week — The Human Legion

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, update, WritingLeave a comment

One of the stars of the recent boom in science fiction literature is Nick Webb. Now, if your’re reading this, Nick, I would describe you as a very annoying kind of author Not only does he sell a gazillion copies of his books, which come out more regularly than mine, but he also has a…

via Nick Webb’s Constitution deal, and my new book is out next week — The Human Legion

Writers: Judge Yourself by Your Own Standards

On By J.R. HandleyIn Writing7 Comments

Hey Space Cadets, I wanted to share a wonderful article about a flaw most creative types share. We compare ourselves to others and often find ourselves wanting. It’s important to remember that, in the game of life, you’re only competing against yourself.

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

theryanlanz's avatarRyan Lanz

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by Kate M. Colby

‘Comparisonitis’ is the most infectious disease in the writer community. Can you blame us? When John’s book has 100 five-star reviews and Jane has written six books this year and Joe has landed a major publishing deal, it’s difficult not to feel jealous and shame yourself for what you are/aren’t accomplishing.

Here’s your gentle reminder to CUT. IT. OUT.

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Interviewed by Boss Man

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, Sleeping Legion Series, Writing22 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, I hope everyone is having a spectacular day!!  I’m doing great, I had a moment on release day where The Legion Awakes was #27 in the Hot New Releases for Military Science Fiction (Space Marine) and #44 in the broader Hot New Releases for Military Science Fiction.  Thank you, sincerely, for being a part of my team and joining me in the trenches!  To be honest, we don’t plan to be a flash in the pan.  The plan for The Sleeping Legion Series is one of a slow burn, as we build an awesome series.  We hope the readers agree, and join us on this adventure.

 

Moving right along to the topic at hand, today Boss Man posted an interview he conducted with me and I thought I would share the link.  If you want to learn more about the craziness behind my shenanigans, click here.

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess 

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

What it’s like to make books — The Human Legion

On By J.R. HandleyIn WritingLeave a comment

Hey Space Cadets, here’s a quick look into how the sausage is made from Boss Man!  Take a peek and leave some love!

 

Our book mobilization is almost complete. Here are the dates: The Sleeping Legion book1: The Legion Awakes will be launched tomorrow (Dec. 19th). Revenge Squad book1: After War goes live on Tuesday (Dec. 20th) The Sleeping Legion book2: Fortress Beta City is launched on Wednesday (Dec. 21st) If you’ve joined the Legion then you should…

via What it’s like to make books — The Human Legion

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

Marine Monday: Infopedia’s

On By J.R. HandleyIn Marine Monday, update, Writing2 Comments

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Hello Space Cadets, how are you today?  I’m doing outstanding, getting ready for the launch of my debut novel The Legion Awakes and hoping everyone loves it.  Paying back my mom for what we spent in the pre-publication stage wouldn’t hurt either!  To do that, people have to find me, so that lets me justify my time playing on my blog.  Shh, if anyone asks it’s for work (nods vigorously).

 

Today I wanted to talk to you about a feature of Tim’s website that has a metric frakk ton of information about his world building.  He labels these Infopedia’s, and they read like an encyclopedia entry.  They’re written in from the perspective of future historians studying the past, the eras we both write in.  It was a lot of fun to read when I was first introduced to his world as a reader.  I often refer to it as I write as well, and since I started this World Building Series Tim has been inspired to update this section on his own blog.

 

In addition, these posts serve as additional cannon support for the Universal Codex that my editor posted about over on his blog.  Sometimes they’re called other things as well; Universe Bible, World Building Style Guide or their brain dumps.  If you don’t follow him, and you love reading and writing, you should check him out.

 

I’m sorry this wasn’t a more exciting post, but I felt that I needed to point everyone in the right direction to see the building blocks of my works.  From here on out, I’ll be focusing on the things I added to the universe and will let Tim embellish his own idea babies.  Hopefully this helps, and wasn’t too disappointing.  As you know, I’ve been handling the pre-publication details of my first two novels.

 

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 Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.

 

The Legion Awakes

On By J.R. HandleyIn Sleeping Legion Series, Writing9 Comments

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Hello Space Cadets, how are you today?  I’m doing outstanding, biting my nails as we launch my debut novel The Legion Awakes.  I’m anxiously waiting, hoping everyone loves it, because I’ve poured my soul into it.  Paying back my mom for what we spent in the pre-publication stage wouldn’t hurt either!  It’s officially out in the world, so mosey on over to the Amazon link and take a look! 

 

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Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry! 

brown_bess

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.