World Building Wednesday: Personal Health

On January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn update, World Building Wednesday, Writing8 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, I hope everyone is surviving the snow which has blanketed most of the United States. For those of you not in the States, well we hope you survived too! The Sleeping Legion Series books are doing well, and I’m continually amazed by that fact. I’m halfway through writing book three and hope to have it to the editor by the end of the month. I’m still excited about this project, and the next two afterwards so never fear I’ll disappear and leave you hanging!

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So for today’s World Building Wednesday I’ve decided to talk about something that acts as a companion to your writing plan. Today I want to talk about our health, there is a proven medical correlation between physical health and mental agility. I’m not going to lie, the Army over prescribed me cortisone shots while I was deployed to keep me the field. They continued this as I transitioned into the VA (Veterans Administration) for my medical care. The excess cortisone combined with decreased physical activity due to my injuries resulted in my gaining weight. Lots of it. While my body was wounded and no longer as active as I wanted it to be, my lifestyle choices didn’t keep up. I kept drinking and eating like I was still running 5 miles a day, though given the delicious microbrews available these days, can you blame me?

A quick side tangent; unlike my misinformed Boss Man, I drink my beer in a cold frosty mug as God intended it to be drunk. Those wacky Brits seem to think we should drink beer warm! I mean, didn’t anyone go over to the island and tell them we had refrigeration? Next, they’re going to tell me they still cook with fire, instead of on the stove. Sigh, it’s a shame but I shall continue to persevere with my 5-Step Plan to educate him on the ways of the beer world. Wish me luck!

Okay, rant over… and now we resume your regularly scheduled programing! Since I started tracking my daily word counts, I noticed a trend. On the mornings where I got an early start with a walk, my writing improved. My neurologist tells me this is because blood flow, oxygen levels, as well as other medical sounding stuff that I didn’t even bother remembering. Due to this insight, and the knowledge that I can’t keep writing if I let myself spiral into an early grave, I’ve decided that 2017 is the year of the healthier me. I might never fit back into my Class A’s, but I can get down to a place where my doctors and wife aren’t worried. I’m 5’9” and weigh in at 341 pounds, this can’t continue. I promised I’d still be writing when my youngest son is older. He has it in his head that he’ll write a book with me someday. To do that, I have to turn this ship around.

And I shall, because my kids are worth it. As writers, we tend to spend a lot of solitary time in front of our monitor clacking away on our keyboards. This lifestyle of professional daydreaming can lend itself to inactivity and general unhealth. Let us all endeavor to turn that around so that we might live longer and write more.

We can do it. We HAVE to.

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

brown_bess

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

GUEST BLOG: Steve Beaulieu

On January 10, 2017January 9, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, Writing5 Comments

Hey Space Cadets, today I get the privilege of bringing you a topic I’m interested in, co-writing. One of my blogosphere friends, Steve Beaulieu, is a part of a dynamic writing team, and he’s going to share with you his process. But today isn’t about my ramblings so let’s get right to it!

So you’ve got this killer idea for a story. You’ve outlined it…twice. Now you are sitting down to write it. The first several chapters flow like milk and honey from the promised land. It’s as if God himself was pouring words through your pen (fingers on keyboard) onto paper (hopefully something more like pages or word). Then the unthinkable happens. You get stuck. Nothing will come to you. Every thought you have, if you have any at all, are among the stupidest ideas a writer could have. They are clichés and predictable – you don’t know what to do next. Now what?

If you’re anything like me, this means that you stop writing and your genius book—your outlined masterpiece—sits untouched for weeks, months or even years. For shame!

My name is Steve Beaulieu. I am half of Hall & Beaulieu Author Team. I am guilty of everything you just read about (except maybe outlining…I hate outlining).

That’s the end of my infomercial-style introduction…let me tell you what has helped me tremendously.

When I met Aaron Hall he was just another cool guy at the church I’m a pastor at. He played guitar and bass, and I play guitar and lead the music at the church, so we were a natural fit. After a period of time his roommate bought an Oculus Rift—another natural fit for me. I love gaming, although it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find time to play. After we were done checking out the nauseating wonder that was the OR we talked a bit about something else that we were both passionate about—writing.

Aaron has been a writer his whole life, literally. If you find yourself interested in his story, which is crazy cool, you can read about it here. I have too, but I never experienced the success he had. He may not have sold thousands of copies of his books, but he finished and printed nine novels. I had started and not completed twice that amount. As a matter of fact, I had/have a high fantasy novel that I started writing when I was 18 that is about 80 pages from completion that will likely never get finished all because I didn’t properly outline it and I had no idea where it needed to go next.

Truth is, it probably sucked anyway.

After he threw a couple of his books at me (his shortcoming is that he never tried to sell anything, he just gave it all away. He’s too giving for his own good) I offhandedly stated that we should co-write a book together. That quick remark led to a tremendous friendship and partnership that I never could have imagined.

I am an idea guy. I believe I’m a decent writer as well, but in my opinion, nowhere near his caliber. I have ideas for days that in order for them to see the light of day, I needed someone next to me to help see it through. Aaron has been that guy, and I’m pretty confident he would say something similar.

I know him well enough at this point that I could speak for him. Whereas his primary benefit to me was helping me stay focused and finish projects, I helped him to break down his stories and deepen the character and environmental development of them.

I believe anyone could benefit from some kind of writing partner. Maybe it won’t be someone who actually shares in the writing with you, as we do. But, instead, someone who brainstorms with you. We get together often to brainstorm our projects. It usually sounds like this…

“Maybe the main character (MC) would not respond well to the formula? Maybe they would freak out because their time in the laboratory reminds them too much of when they were in captivity at a young age. Maybe we just need to skip this section altogether and focus on the fact that he is currently standing in the middle of a garbage dump and there might be a little boy living there who is scared to death that there’s someone else in the dump.”

We bounce ideas back and forth. When typically we would have individually gone with that first idea, instead the brainstorming session led to the discovery of this little boy in the garbage dump. Just like in real life, our stories come alive…who knows what immense value this little boy will add to this story?

Everyone will experience partnerships in a(n) unique way. We do things a certain way, but it might not be what works best for you.

One of us will typically take the lead on a project. Strangely, our main project we are working on right now Brother Dust: The Resurgence, was my brainchild. It started out as a comic book I was writing and subsequently coloring. When things came to a standstill, this was the first thought I had when approaching Aaron to co-write a book with me. Main reason? I had a script with a full story in it that just needed to be fleshed out into novelization. He read the script and loved it. He immediately started working on it and I was in love with the work he did. He took a comic script and singled out a section of 6 panels and wrote an entire chapter on it. It was amazing.

Without a question, he became lead writer on the project. What happened from there was that he would write a chapter and send it my way. I would then “write into” the chapter. We have a cool benefit of both writing with very similar voices to the point where we forget which sections we wrote and which were written by the other. Not everyone will have that same style similarity. We did this, chapter by chapter for 25 chapters. The book is currently in editing stage.

Other projects, like our most recent release Sparkle Ship Shine, are done the opposite way. I lead and he “writes into”. This was a bit unique in that I decided to write a comedy, written in first person that turned into a witty horror story. 8,000 words altogether, about half of them are mine and half of them are his.

It’s been a fantastic journey so far. I don’t think I can name a single negative working with Aaron. Finding the right writing partner is like finding the right wife! Maybe not the same benefits though ;P

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Sparkle Ship Shine is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

We hope you enjoyed this look into how other authors manage such a complicated collaboration!

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

brown_bess

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

Marine Monday: Cadences & Chants Galore

On January 9, 2017January 9, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Marine Monday, Writing4 Comments

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Hello Space Cadet, today I wanted to muse about some parts of my time in the Big Green Weenie. It inspired this Marine Monday post, as I tackle the role that cadences and martial music in the development of military culture and mores. 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) if you let me pretend everyone was smart enough to go Army! Hey, it keeps it simple because I can say sergeant instead of remembering petty officers and whatever the heck the Coasties and the Air Force had.

Think back, dust off that fuzzy sounding eight track and start running through your memories. Do you remember them? The marching cadences used to keep you in step? The sing-songy sound of your sergeant’s bellow? Something about yellow ribbons, Chuck Norris and ladies in multi-colored dresses. I had the rare privilege of having seen these cadences at all levels, the ones used for boot recruits, sergeants at the NCO Academy and officers in training. Yes, I know they’ve changed the name of the NCO school many times…. But hey, if I tried to keep current with that fiasco I wouldn’t have time to write this wee post or book three in The Sleeping Legion Series so go with it.

Yesterday I was using music to soothe the soul of several wild animals, most notably my two children, and the music they requested from Dad’s YouTube DJ Services took me places. My eldest asked for the soothing sounds of 1990s heavy metal, though you might call it light rock today, so much has the market changed. Guns-N-Roses, Metallica, Motley Crew…. The usual for kids these days, and if it isn’t it dang well should be. I was instantly taken back to my youth, rebellious thoughts of parental mutinies and my daring but unfulfilled plans to woo that special girl. To protect the innocent, I will call her Kimberly, but since I’m the writer here you’ll have to trust me when I say it isn’t important.

Anyway, after walking down the primrose path of my pubescent mental mausoleum, my eldest son’s turn was over and number two got his shot. What did he request? Ugh, he chose Army marching cadences. I know you’re asking yourself why my son might request the cool marching cadences of HAIL OH HAIL OH INFANTRY, but that’s probably not important. Had nothing to do with daddy’s gross lacking of musical depth, namely knowing zero lullabies, which led to some hypothetical person singing Army cadences to his colicky son. Hey, it was the ots! I mean, the double zeros excuse everything, that crazy post-Y2K time in our history.

So I kept my word, much to my wife’s chagrin, and I hit play to a few Army cadences. My seven-year-old joyfully marched in place to the sounds of unseen sergeants extolling the joys of war. “Off to battle we will go, to live or die, hell I don’t know” seemed perfectly rational when an 18-year-old Private Handley sang it on his way to the nastiest DFAC this side of Hades… but out of the mouth of my grinning cherub? I shuddered, I cringed, my wife bopped my head! I watched Kentuck drink out of the Euphrates fricken River, and then shared a bottle of Gatorade and cigars with him. (Note to self: brush teeth a few extra hundred times.) I did a multitude of other gross stuff, just to fit in with my fellow grunts. Somewhere, my doppelganger is still screaming to his buddies “Hey yall, watch this!” But all that paled when listening to my sweet boy, my little buddy, sing of death and war. It shook me to the core.

I’m not one of those apologists who throw medals over political fences. I won’t say I’m sorry for fighting my country’s wars, my job was to fight. I was good at it, and many of us came home because of the skilled riflemen I had the privilege to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with. While it was my job to fight, it was my fellow citizens and the politicians they elect, whose job it was to determined when and where they unleashed the beast. Not a perfect system, but it beats the alternatives. But, unlike my Handley predecessors, I will gladly surrender the mantel of ‘military family.’ We’ve done enough, let the Jones have the ball for a few generations. My sons, I want them to be patriotic, but maybe with a slight contrarian hippy bent? A few peace signs and tie dyed shirts to add to the effect? Maybe even a dreaded pair of Birkenstocks? For you Brits reading this, think along the line of Guy Fawkes…. And if I mangle that geopolitical reference, I can blame Tim! Hey, blaming your predecessors is practically cannon over here!

Right, back on track… sorry, the wife had to beat me about the head and shoulders so the hamsters knew I meant business. Rest easy, they are back on that spinning wheel and we’re back on course. After I got over the shock of seeing a babe singing a violent military cadence, I realized something. We modern soldiers, those raised in a more genteel time, we NEED those cadences. Why? They prepare us for the idea of death; ours and theirs. They teach us to dehumanize our enemies and make us more comfortable with the idea of killing them first. It reminds me of the quote from Karate Kid, the motto of the Cobra Kai Dojo. “Strike fast, strike hard, no mercy sir!”

One author, a Mr. Dave Grossman, wrote a book ON KILLING about how the military used systematic approaches to accomplish the goal of preparing soldiers to kill and possibly die in war. Some have argued that this was a seminal book on the subject, and while I’ve not read it since my head injury, I instinctively realized how those cadences from long ago shaped my world view. I learned to hate the dreaded commie as I humped the hills of Fort Benning, GA. I learned of vaunted Airborne Rangers left dying in the mud, though I always thought Patton had it right, better let them die for their country instead. I remember fondly a cadence where the mythical soldier is asked how he earns his living, to which he replies: “with a cold kind of nod, I earn my living killing commies for my God.” We later learn that an acceptable way to do this is with your K-bar (combat knife). To save you from hearing me give you all the examples, I’ve posted links to a few at the bottom of the article.

So, I’ll assume you’re still with me because otherwise you’d have left the thread already. Now that we have shown how a largely peaceful civilian culture prepares warriors to fight and die, let us consider the world created by author Tim C. Taylor. Okay, I really do love his work but I’ll end my fanboy stuff here, I swear. So, in the universe of Tim’s Human Legion Saga there are no civilians, everyone’s a combatant. At least, the Marines in the Human Marine Corps are only exposed to militarism from birth, it’s possible that the culture of the White Knights is different… Maybe we’ll learn more in Book 6, The Battle for Earth?

Now that we’ve established the universe, how would their teachings differ from ours? Would these crèchelings/novices/cadets even need cadences to accustom them to their new reality? And what does one sing about when you have no non-martial references from which to draw upon? Who would be their mythical Jody, the bogyman who steals your girl or guy, while you’re gone when it’s likely your lover would deploy with you? And on a broader subject, how would their purely military society differ from ours? I’d bet their food would be worse, military cooks are the pits! I remember a DFAC at Fort Hunter-Ligget that even screwed up a burger! How do you mess up a burger? Ugh, but I digress. Seriously though, in what ways would daily life be different in world free of civilians? Do they trade in their humanity in the name of efficiency? And what would such a world produce for the lullabies which we take for granted when we’re singing them to our young? What kind of fairy tales exist in this militaristic society? I won’t pretend to have any answers, but the questions are intriguing. Let’s be honest, it is what makes science fiction so great in the first place!

Anyway, this was all just food for thought but let’s talk about it in the comment section!

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

brown_bess

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

WARRIOR WEEKEND INTERVIEW SERIES: MLS WEECH

On January 8, 2017January 8, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Warrior Weekend Interview Series, Writing10 Comments

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Hello Space Cadets! First, I wanted to thank everyone who helped make this writing dream a reality. Seriously, it’s a blast to think so many people (like anyone NOT related to me) are reading what I write. It has been a thrill to be able to show my sons that you don’t have to let your injuries and disabilities set you back. I realize that my injuries pale in comparison to others but for kids who don’t understand that level of granularity, the point is simplified for them. So again, my humble thanks.

Another update, I recently submitted a short story to the Roswell Anthology that was and will be the foundation to the Odera Chronicles. I’ll have more information about that as the time comes but there is more in the works for me after I finish The Sleeping Legion Series.

Now, onto todays topic. I wanted to introduce you to an author from my WARRIOR WEEKEND INTERVIEW SERIES. This will be the debut post in my Warrior Weekend Series, and I’m thrilled that it’s with someone I consider a friend. Matthew is an awesome guy, and a veteran of the Naval Combat Cameraman Corps. Meh, I probably got the specific title wrong but I’m a grunt… what’d you expect?

So let’s get into M.L.S. Weech! He was born in August 1979 in Rapid City, South Dakota. He fell in love with fantasy and science fiction at an early age. His love of writing quickly followed when he tried to write a sequel to his favorite movie. He clearly didn’t know what copyright infringement was. Weech can’t remember a time when he wasn’t working on some sort of project from that day forward. He went on to write for a junior high school (mostly called middle school now) project. The only way his freshman English teacher could get him to settle down was to let him start writing a book. He completed what he calls his ‘first manuscript’ when he was 17. He got a ton of feedback that was honest, helpful, and not much fun to listen to. Instead of quitting, he simply wrote another, and then another.

Weech fell in love with reading in high school, despite some of the horrible texts that are often foisted upon our unsuspecting youth the day he was introduced to Timothy Zahn and the Star Wars novels. Clearly this wasn’t an assigned bore-fests! Then Weech was handed Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, Dean Koontz, Brandon Sanderson and so many more. He went from reading to complete homework to reading more than three books a month. Everyone loves an over achiever, right?

M.L.S. Weech then joined the U.S. Navy as a journalist in 2005. He served on aircraft carriers and destroyers. He served in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. When he wasn’t taking pictures, or writing features or news stories, he was writing fiction. Photojournalism was a hobby he enjoyed getting paid for, but writing fiction has been and remains his true dream. He’s completed six manuscripts and is already planning a seventh. He took his third project to Archway Publishing, who helped him turn his life-long dream into a reality.

Now that you’ve heard me blather on about him, all man-crushing…. Let’s get to the questions!

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Without further ado, let’s get this interview cranking!

Tell me a little about your military service?

I joined the Navy back in 2005 to be a journalist. I wanted to tell stories – wanted to write every day. Once I got out in the military, I started having more and more fun. I deployed on a ship, and I served on two combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The first six years were honestly a blur for me. Everything was such a combination of work and wonderful experience. I was a part of history. I was a member of the first team of Sailors to operate as a sea operation attachment assigned to a strike group. It’s complicated, but basically when the strike group (a bunch of ships that work together) needed a team of MCs, my team went to supplement their media department. I had the honor to document the funeral of Carl Brashear. It was just so humbling to see someone who was such a great part of American history be put to rest. I saw the transition of power in Iraq and Afghanistan. My last tour in the military was as an instructor for those who do the same work I did. I loved it so much that I left the military to keep doing it. (Also, there was this book I wrote…)

How do you feel that your military service has influenced your writing?

For starters, because my job in the military was writing, it made me a better author. I learned about the craft of writing, and I improved my basic mechanical skills. But more so is the inspiration my service has had. Most of my books have some sort of military aspect. I often describe Caught as Wes Craven meets Tom Clancy. I’ve seen a lot through my career, good and bad. It created a foundational background for my writing. This inspirational part of my life is most evident in my science fiction saga Perception of War. The short story Sojourn in Despair is the first thing from that series readers will see. Seeing combat makes one truly consider its ramifications. Perception of War investigates those ramifications on an epic scale.

Do you think your military service, and more specifically your training, adds to the realism in your books? If so, how?

Absolutely! If I’m being honest, I don’t watch military movies or TV shows. They simply infuriate me. I’m also bothered by something I’ll call the impact of combat. Sure, in fiction, readers expect characters to be able to inflict and take more punishment than the “real” world, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Being in the military also gave me the opportunity to travel. I’ve seen so many amazing places, and I’ve used them in my writing. There’s no substitution for experience.

When did you start pursuing your writing more seriously?

I “went pro” when I was 17. That’s when I started dedicating a minimum of an hour a day, every day to writing. That was in 1997. I read Stephen King’s book “On Writing,” and it challenged me. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. After reading that book, I chose to take that dream seriously.

Of all your work, which was your favorite to write?

That’s a tough question. I’ll have to answer Images of Truth, the first full-length novel in the Perception of War saga. It’s a long way out from publishing, but I’m drafting it now, and it’s amazing. I can honestly say every book I write I enjoy writing more than those that came before it. I think The Journals of Bob Drifter is probably closest to my heart. It’s my first published book, so it means a lot to me, but I’m always excited to start my next project.

How many of your characters were inspired by your military service?

It would be far easier to name the characters that weren’t inspired by the military. Caught is covered in Close Quarters Combat. I’ve already mentioned Perception of War. The military is a major part of my life, so it’s only reasonable that it has a dominant presence in my work.

How many of the scenes you wrote were inspired from your service?

Just like with my characters, a lot of the scenes and settings are straight out of my own military experiences. The cool thing is it’s not just the awesome combat scenes. One thing people don’t talk about a lot is that we veterans are masters of “playfulness.” Sure, we fight and sacrifice, but man, I don’t think you can find a better group of people. Those scenes, scenes of brotherhood and camaraderie are equally prevalent in my work.

Do you feel like your writing has served any therapeutic value for you? Has it helped you process your experiences?

Writing is cathartic for me. Sometimes I’m not even aware I’m dealing with something until I’m writing about it. I think a professional has to eventually step out of themselves and focus on the story, but I’ll never deny that a lot of my work touches on things that matter to me. Writing has allowed me to explore issues and come to terms with situations that were frankly hard to face at times. I’d recommend writing to anyone, even if it’s just to find a positive outlet for times when life deals you a bad hand.

If you could serve with any of your characters, who would it be and why?

I’d absolutely serve with Dom from Caught. You’ll see a LOT more of him in Caught’s sequel. He’s so easy going and frankly awesome. He’s a dedicated individual too. There’s a lot of characters I’d like to hang out with or more, but Dom would be first on the “serve with” list. Honestly, I’d just want to go to the range with him. Plus, if I were a combat photographer serving with his unit, I’d pretty much be the safest journalist ever. Sal is probably a BETTER soldier, but he wouldn’t be as much fun to hang out with after the operation.

If you would want to avoid serving with any of your characters, who would it be and why?

I’d have to say that it’s only degrees of less fun to serve with. Steve would be hard to serve with. He’s so demanding of his people. There are a few other characters I wouldn’t want to serve with, but that would reveal some spoilers.

What are you currently working on?

I have a few things in the works, but my writing time is mostly divided between revising Sojourn in Despair and finishing Images of Truth. These are both from my science fiction series Perception of War. A lot of my projects are different from each other. This series gives me sort of a “home base” to work with. Perception of War is a series about a galactic war based on a blend between the War on Terror and World War II.

How can people find you?

Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Website
E-Mail: mlsweech@gmail.com

If this convinced you to find out more, look up M.L.S. Weech. I hope you all had a great time getting to know about Matt. Don’t be afraid to say hello here or on Matt’s website. If they don’t respond quick enough, glitter bomb them! Mwahahaha!! Or, you can do something even worse… give their number to a telemarketer!!!

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

brown_bess

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are screen grabs taken by JR Handley for use under the Fair Use Doctrine.

Snow Day

On January 7, 2017January 7, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn update, Writing6 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, today I wanted to show you some of what I did today when I should’ve been working!! I beg your forgiveness, but snow is such a rare occurrence! Tomorrow will be an exciting blog, where I give you my first Warrior Weekend Interview of author MLS Weech!

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

brown_bess

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

Calling All Writers

On January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn update, Writing3 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, 2017 is here! It’s a new year, so I’ve decided to talk about my goals for the year. I hope to write 2k words a day, as I strive for a million words for the year. Towards that goal, here are some places where you can submit your writing. I’ve mentioned some of them before, but they’re worth re-posting. I hope you find these helpful, and if you have more share and I’ll add them to the post!!

One of the anthologies I’ve mentioned before is the Roswell Anthology being assembled by Tickety Boo Press Ltd.. In this short story, which should be between 2-5k words, you’re tasked with writing a tale surrounding the alleged alien activities surround Roswell, New Mexico. I wrote mine, it was fun and is now waiting for my editor to do his thing. In fact, this short story will become my previously mentioned Odera Chronicles. You should join me, maybe our pages will end up touching!!

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The second anthology, which I’ve already mentioned, is the Zeborian Anthology. In this anthology, you’re given a premise and a short backstory and then set free to let your creative juices flow. You get to do all of this in 2-5k words, which seems to be the sweet spot for anthology short stories. I’ve not written this one yet, but I hope too. If this sounds like your thing, get started writing and keep us posted!!

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Finally, I found a new eMagazine or eZine that has an open ended subject matter but limits you to 6,000 characters. I don’t think I could write that concisely, but if that’s you it’s a paying gig! The Thing is run by Matthew Wayne Selznick, the very same soul who slew interweb dragons for me and helped make my webpage shine. He’s pretty reasonable and easy to work with, so go ahead and give it a shot! I posted about him here and here if you want to learn more.

If you know of any others, give me a holler and I’ll add it to the list!!! At the conclusion of this post, I’ll link to several more general places where you could submit your work. I’ll also list anywhere I found that had lists of places to submit for you to jump down the rabbit hole with me.

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

brown_bess

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section, are screen grabs taken by JR Handley or were used under the Fair Use Doctrine.

Meet Matthew Wayne Selznick: Creative Services Provider, Author, & Creator

On January 5, 2017January 5, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, Writing5 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, I’m doing great and I hope you are too!! Nothing new to report, so I won’t hold you up. Besides, Matthew Wayne Selznick is interesting enough to warrant jumping right into the topic of the day!

As promised, today we will talk about my web designer! Matthew Wayne Selznick is a friendly guy, who reached out when I was a green author trying to find my way in the wild world of the internet. He was friendly and prompt, and was a pleasure to do business with! After writing about working with him in yesterday’s World Building Wednesday Series I decided a follow-on interview was in order.

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The myth, the man, the legend!

Question: How did you get into working with computers and then specifically with web design?

Answer: First of all, thanks for inviting me to do this!

I’ve been working with computers since 1991, when the bookstore I worked at, the late, great Fahrenheit 451 in Laguna Beach, California, started using an online ordering system. We had a version of email as well, but that might have been internal.

I built my first websites in…probably 1993 or a little later? It was around the time Mosaic came around. I hesitate to call myself a web designer, though – I’m not a graphic designer or visual artist (although I have a good understanding of web usability, typography, and the various visual rules that go into user experience on the web). Web developer, sure!

Question: How long before you started working with other authors?

Answer: My first clients as a freelancer were other authors. I did developmental editing, in which one offers story coaching and advice, both on the work as a whole and at the line level. This would have been at the turn of the century – 2000. It’s still my favorite work…I’m doing a developmental edit on a new author’s literary novel right now, and I’m always open to help others in that respect.

Before that, beginning in 1998, I edited other writers as part of my webzine, Sovereign Serials, which was one of the first web-only fiction magazines featuring a shared world.

Question: Do you feel that you bring something different to the table, being a writer yourself?

Answer: I do. Everything I do for clients, I’ve done for myself in my career as an independent creator. Thanks to timing, a curious mind, and a DIY / punk rock spirit, I’ve had the honor of being there at the beginning of web publishing (1998), podcasting (2004), and the ebook / indie publishing movement (2005); I taught myself as I went.

That hands-on experience, coupled with being a writer, editor, and author, led me to work for a time at a digital marketing agency, where I gained valuable skills helping create, write, and produce online campaigns (usually including websites and apps) for major motion pictures and television shows.

Taken together, I can see things from both the creative / authorial side and from the (equally creative) promotion and marketing side. I speak both Writer and Promoter. I’m also very active and engaged with current best practices in the internet marketing space, and I bring lessons from that industry to the table as well.

Question: What all services do you offer for those like myself, the technologically challenged?

Answer: I call myself a Creative Services Provider, which means I help individuals, small businesses, non-profits, and the occasional movie studio or municipality bring their creative endeavor to fruition, to market, and to an audience. My current client roster as of this writing includes a first-time literary author; a three-time memoirist and podcaster; a true crime blogger; a psychologist; a fine artist; and an online marketer.

Broadly stated, I offer writing, website, and virtual assistance services. For more details, I hope folks will check out the Services Page on my website.

Question: Yesterday I mentioned that you manage an eZine, would you like to tell us about it?

Answer: I’m the creator and editor of Thing, an email literary magazine. Subscriptions are free, or, if you’d like to help pay writers and get an ad-free edition of the magazine, you can become a sustaining subscriber.

Thing publishes very short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, and other content. Issues come out ten times a year.

Question: How does an author submit to your eZine?

Answer: Visit here for submission guidelines, and to submit your work. We pay authors!

Question: I’ve mentioned you also write novels, would you care to tell me about them?

Answer: I’ve written two novels to date: Brave Men Run and Pilgrimage. They’re the first two novels in the Sovereign Era cycle, and together they form the Charters Duology.

The Sovereign Era is an alternate history. In 1985, at the height of the Cold War, individuals with remarkable powers and abilities make themselves known, and the most powerful declares that all of their kind shall be considered sovereigns unto themselves: independent of, but abiding by and co-existing with, the nations of the world. The result is a world even more fraught with tension than before.

The Charters Duology shows us the very beginning of the Sovereign Era through the eyes of Nate Charters, a young man with unusual talents who just wants to figure out what the heck he is.

To date, the Sovereign Era cycle consists of those two novels, a short story anthology, two short stories, and Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights, an ongoing text and audio fiction serial distributed to subscribers via email.

Question: Of all the novels you’ve written, which was your favorite and why?

Answer: Well, I’ve only written two, but I do hope to write more…so the only answer I can give you is, “my latest,” whenever and whatever that may be. The reason: every novel should…must…represent a strong and measurable improvement in my ability as a writer and, specifically, as a novelist. If it doesn’t, I’m not challenging myself to grow…and that would be a problem.

So, it stands to reason that, so long as I’m doing my job, I’ll always like my latest book more than any others… until the next one comes along.

Question: And the usual follow on, who was your favorite character to write and why?

Answer: I don’t have favorite characters. Characters are instruments of the story, and, again, if I’m doing my job right, they should each be equally compelling in proportion to the role they have to play.

I can tell you that many of my fans really love Nate Charters, the protagonist of those two novels…and I appreciate that. It tells me I did a good job there.

Question: And finally, to tie things all together, my last question! If people are interested in finding out more about the services you offer, where can they find you?

Answer: Folks can find me and everything I do at my website..

There, you’ll find my blog Scribtotum, where I offer opinion, advice, and recommendations on how to lead a mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy creative writing life. You’ll also find everything you might need to know about my services and my creative works.

Once folks are there, I hope they’ll consider joining my community of friends and fans. I’ll send them my first novel, Brave Men Run, absolutely free when they sign up.

Thanks again for inviting me to talk!

Well, I hope this was entertaining and informative!!

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

brown_bess

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

World Building: Website Design

On January 4, 2017 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

–> 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 January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 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_bess JR

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

Marine Monday: Basil Terloar

On January 2, 2017January 2, 2017 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 6907^th 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

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