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! …

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Free Books!!!!

On By J.R. HandleyIn Beta Reading, Reading8 Comments

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Hello Space Cadets, how are you doing today?  I’m doing great, doing the punch list of my wife’s ‘Honey Do List,’ and working on Operation Breakout and various other things for boss man to help market The Legion Awakes and Fortress Beta City.  I wanted to finish Operation Breakout by Christmas Eve, but it clearly didn’t happen.  I’ve moved the deadline for myself to January 31, 2017 and hope that I won’t be cutting that one close.  I’ve also fallen in love with next series, which I’ll tentatively call The Odera Chronicles.  This series came out of the short story I wrote for the Roswell Anthology that I’ve talked about.  It’s currently with my editor, who is doing a quick look-through for me.  I know that prolific author Dean Wesley Smith teaches us that the world is waiting with baited breath for the release of the next big thing in military science fiction, the next big pulp author.  I hope my novels will fill that niche!  To tide you over, as a sort of appetizer to greatness, I wanted to tell you about an opportunity to help other science fiction authors. 

 

One of the up and coming small publishing houses, Space Dock, is seeking dedicated ARC readers.  An ARC is an advanced reader copy, and is given out by authors for reviews of their books.  These reviews are crucial for visibility, and writers live and die by them.  Good, bad or indifferent, just write the dang review!  Since Space Dock is out of the UK, they’d likely be sending out eBook copies, but for most of us that isn’t an issue.  If this sounds like something you’re interested in, 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 or are personally owned by Space Dock Publications.

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

gavel-568417_640

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.

 

infopediainfopedia-1infopedia-2

 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

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_darkbg

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.

Playing with Legos

On By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, Writing21 Comments

File:Warhammer game.jpg

Hello Space Cadets, how are you today?  I’m doing good and going through my interweb folders and finding older posts that nobody read.  I want to bring them into the light of day now that this is a real blog, so bear with me.  This was my fourth post, so climb with me into the wayback machine and let’s go!  I won’t even edit the errors, so you can see how far we’ve come!

 

Beep, bop, boop, beep…..

 

Looking back in time!

 

Today I was, in fact, playing with Legos.  My wife came home to find me playing with Legos after a long hard day at work housewifing.  Naturally she was curious, as there was real work to be done.  Dishes to be washed, Christmas presents to be wrapped, good ole fashioned adulting.  My answer was simple, “I’m building sand-tables.”  What are sand-tables you ask?  Well, they are places where you use sand that can be molded to accurately represent the topography of a specific battlefield.  Basically, you use a sandbox to plan your battles.  When I used this in Army ROTC, we sometimes even used little green army men!  I seem to remember those little troopers being the same color my face turned after I ate my first MRE!!!  I am using Legos (as well as army men, yay!) for this purpose, allowing me to plan out a battle that makes sense and can be clearly explained.  Hopefully this means I write better battle scenes, but at a minimum this helps me clarify things in my own head.  That’s an important factor if I’m going to tell that story to my audience.  Let’s just say she wasn’t convinced, but finally my puppy dog eyes paid off.

 

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

brown_bess

JR

 

–> This image is under available under the free creative commons and was originally posted to Flickr.com.  It was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 15:22, 25 July 2007 (UTC) by Ranveig (talk). On that date it was licensed under the license linked to above.