Rain Forest Bloggerings

Publishers are writers, too

2011-12-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

My father died two months after I entered the army in 1956. My Signal Corp unit was sent to Camp Desert Rock, Nevada to cover the atmospheric atomic bomb tests in 1957. While there, I started writing letters to my dad, which was probably my way of coping with losing him. Letters From Under the Mushroom Cloud is a collection of those letters. I am now seventy-five years old. I still write letters to my father, and I always will."—Ray Hoy, Publisher

Effective today, Letters from Under the Mushroom Cloud is available for just $1.99 through Smashwords. Use code CN52G when you order. The book is available in all popular downloadable formats. Follow this link: www.smashwords.com/books/view/17796

The reviews have been gratifying, and the book is selling very well, so apparently my nostalgic journey has touched a nerve with a lot of people.

"Ray Hoy's Letters From Under the Mushroom Cloud captures an unforgettable moment in time during a military stint on a nuclear test site, but more than that his book is a testament to the endurance of respect and love that keep alive people we have lost. You will be moved in ways you can't anticipate.—Laura Belgrave, The Claudia Hershey Mysteries

"Letters From Under the Mushroom Cloud by Ray Hoy is a poignant representation of the early years of the atomic age as seen through the eyes of a young soldier at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada's above-ground nuclear test site. Dubbed "The Mushroom Garden" by soldiers in Hoy's unit, bright mushroom clouds often blossomed from the desert floor. After the passing of his father, Ray ("Bud" to his dad) wrote him letters about life in The Mushroom Garden. Beneath the simplicity of these letters, Ray reveals an era nearly forgotten, a national mindset never to be seen again. Written by one of the few remaining survivors of The Mushroom Garden, this book is an historic treasure. A must-read for everyone.—Reenie Nattress, The Keeper of Time

"Every American should read this. The book is a collection of letters to a deceased father about the life of a soldier who served and experienced, first hand, atomic bomb testing back in the fifties. The author, Ray Hoy, shares his priceless collection of heartfelt correspondence with his father. Thankfully, Ray has captured a piece of history about some very unfortunate tragedies. Many suffered and lost their lives to cancer and other diseases related to being too close to the testing of the atomic bomb or were overexposed. The letters all reflect the fondness Ray felt for his father and others. They conclude with a reflection upon the loss of quality time with people. The sound bite mentality seems to have found its way into our daily lives. Letters from Under the Mushroom Cloud is a worthy read and will become a catalyst to reflect on what is meaningful about life."— Bob Weinstein, Lt. Col., USAR-ret.

"The year was 1957: The U.S. and the Soviet Union were in a mindless race to see who would be the first to develop nuclear weapons destructive enough to blow the civilized world off the face of the planet. This was the setting for a warmly personal autobiographical book titled, Letters From Under the Mushroom Cloud. Ray Hoy, the author, was stationed at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada, the site of a series of above-ground nuclear tests. Two months after Ray entered the Army, his dad passed away. To cope with his loss and the strange world in which he found himself, Hoy began writing letters to his deceased father, telling him of the goings-on in his outlandish world. The letters are warm, personal and factual; they speak of love and of the dangerous place the world was in in the late 1950s. This small volume is a journey into a grieving young man's soul, and a cautionary history tale. I am the same age as Ray Hoy, and I found myself continually dabbing the moisture off my cheeks as I read this volume and walked with Ray, half a century ago."—Richard Herman, Lazlo's Fire

"Woven into serviceman Ray Hoy's collection of very human letters is a sadness of lost opportunities caused by the premature death of his father. They also convey the helplessness of the ordinary foot soldier, forced into a mindless and dangerous duty by those who march to a different drummer, which today can be seen as the ignorance of those who feel the ends justify the means, no matter the toll in human suffering. In this unique collection of his experiences—Letters From Under the Mushroom Cloud —are the echoes of a message that should still listened to and thought seriously about. Ray's book is a quiet warning to all of us still living figuratively, if not actually, under a very real threat of mushroom clouds."—Gordon Ross, Tales From Tidy Vale

This has nothing to do with writing

2011-12-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

If I had to be reminded, I found out yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 18th) that there are more important things in life than writing and publishing.

Around 6 a.m., Lucky, our beloved old black Lab, had violent seizures. It was a horrible thing to see. We called our vet's emergency number and he said he would meet us in his office in thirty minutes.

I carried Lucky to the car and we drove him to the vet. I carried him in and placed him on the table. He was alert but completely stressed. The vet examined him and said, while it was up to us, he recommended that we put him down.

We made the heartbreaking decision to go ahead, and my wife and I both hugged Lucky while the vet administered the fatal shot. Our best friend sagged in our arms and died peacefully.

We left there, completely gutted. This morning the house seemed terribly empty.

I didn't write the following; I wish I had. I found it on the Internet, and it seems to sum everything up nicely. If you're a dog lover—or even if you aren't—I think you'll appreciate it.

I will leave you with this: Hold closely the ones you love. You never know how long you'll have them.

Where To Bury a Dog

There are various places within which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a setter, whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple, or any flowering shrub of the garden, is an excellent place to bury a good dog.

Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else.

For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost -- if memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all.

If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call -- come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they should not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he belongs there.

People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth the knowing.

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.

--by Ben Hur Lampman

"Indie" Authors: Want your eBook formatted before Christmas?

2011-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

If you've decided to go the independent publishing route and want your eBook formatted and uploaded to Smashwords and/or Amazon before Christmas, you'd better hurry! Click on this headline to get to our eBook formatting information page.

Our eBooks are available on the updated KOBO site

2011-12-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

As I reported earlier, KOBO has been purchased by a large Japanese outfit for $315,000,000. Our entire eBook line is live on the updated KOBO Website. Just type "The Fiction Works" into the search box on the KOBO home page: http://www.kobo.com

Tweaks to our Indie Author eBook Formatting Service

2011-10-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

We've made significant improvements to our eBook formatting service for Indie authors. These tweaks save us some time, and "Time is money" as the old saying goes. We're passing those savings along to you.

We previously charged $60 to format a file for Smashwords, and an additional $60 to format a separate file for Amazon's Kindle (or $90 for both, a savings of $30).

That has changed. Now we're charging a flat $60 and you'll get both files. Our turnaround time is usually four working days, and we guarantee that your book will be accepted into the Smashwords premium catalog.

We're bringing our Adult Literacy titles to the iPad and similar tablets

2011-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

We are working hard to convert our "Bell Ringer" Adult Literacy Series of trade paperback books into digital editions for Apple's popular iPad, and similar tablets.

Our "Bell Ringer" label refers to The Town Criers of the 1700s who rang a bell while they walked the streets calling out the news of the day, because the majority of the citizens were illiterate. In that era, schools and books were a luxury enjoyed only by the wealthy. Sadly enough, here we are, centuries later, and adult illiteracy still exists.

Many programs have sprung up, and numerous educational materials have been created to attack the problem. Our series of easy-to-understand books are designed to entice insecure adults into the world of the written word, the world of reading for pleasure, not just for information.

Our Bell Ringer series offers three series at Grade Levels 3, 2, and even 1 of ten genre anthologies. Each anthology contains ten genre stories, mentor Q & A, and a Glossary. Story lengths and vocabulary are optimally geared to build reader confidence, and content is micro-edited by qualified educators to assure readability.

We plan to release our line of digital "Bell Ringer" books right after the first of the year.

Don't ever give up on your dream

2011-09-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

If you’re a writer who hasn’t quite made that big breakthrough, don’t give up. An alcoholic Doberman, of all things, gave me my chance at the brass ring.

That Doberman’s name is J.T. Ripper, an ugly-to-the-bone monster with a nasty disposition. He loves one thing, and one thing only . . . Haig & Haig Scotch. Ripper was born pissed, and he is an equal opportunity hater; he loves no one. He barely tolerates his owner, Jack Frost, a 6’5” adventurer whose one weakness is his fierce loyalty to friends, especially those who find themselves in trouble.

As you have probably surmised by now, Frost and Ripper are figments of my imagination.

But wait, what about that “breakthrough” that I referred to? Well, one day I received a phone call from Robert Daley, the fellow who produced a lot of the Clint Eastwood “Dirty Harry” and “Spaghetti Western” movies. Daley invited me to lunch at the Tale of the Cock restaurant in Los Angeles. Somewhere he had come across a hardcover novel I had written called Follow the Circus (actually a racing novel), and in that book I had introduced Jack Frost.

As it turned out, Daley wasn’t interested in my racing novel. He was in love with my Jack Frost character—and Frost’s dog, J.T. Ripper. “That dog will give us fits if we’re lucky enough to get funding and actually shoot this film,” Daley said. He went on to say that animals add a lot of expense to the making of a film, especially if that animal is a lunatic Doberman like J.T. Ripper.

At any rate, I wrote a film script for the man, and he did his absolute best to get the movie funded. As it turned out, even with Bob Daley's stellar reputation and connections, my shot at the brass ring ended up as one of those “close but no cigar” things. Coming up with millions of dollars to make a movie is never a sure thing. After six months or so, Bob reluctantly returned the rights to me.

Early Frost never got made into a movie, but I did convert that film script into the first novel in “The Jack Frost Chronicles” (12 books are planned). The first book is Early Frost and you can find it at http://www.fictionworks.com/eearlyfrost.

As a result of that chance meeting with Robert Daley, I was off and running as a writer. Over the years I bought homes and cars, and put my kids through college, then married them off, all on money I made writing. It has been a wonderful ride and it’s still happening. Life is, indeed, good.

So don’t ever give up on your dream. You never know when that phone is going to ring and you’re going to get invited to lunch with a big name producer. I’m living proof.

Formatting tips for authors who want to self-publish

2011-09-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

We provide a very inexpensive ($60) eBook formatting service for authors who want to self-publish their title through Smashwords. We'll be happy to handle the formatting for you, but if you're a dedicated "do-it-yourselfer" here are a few tips to make formatting your book a little easier, and reduce the possibility of your title being rejected by Smashwords:

1. Before you do anything, download the Smashwords Style Guide and read it thoroughly. It's straightforward, and if you follow Mark Coker's advice, you'll be well on your way to successfully formatting and uploading your book to Smashwords.

2. Make a copy of your title and perform your formatting on that one, leaving your original file in pristine condition in case you find yourself hopelessly lost in a formatting sinkhole.

3. Your formatted file must be in Microsoft .doc format. Before you begin to format your script, turn on Microsoft Word's "Show/Hide" feature so you can see the non-printing icons for paragraph returns, tabs, extra spaces, etc. If you don't, you'll be operating in the dark and things won't turn out well.

4. Never use a tab or space bar to indent a paragraph. There can be no tabs used anywhere in your script. Set up your book so you get an automatic 0.25" indent when you hit your return key to start a new paragraph.

5. Use only one space after each sentence (not two, as you learned to do while taking typing n high school). You can use two spaces, and nothing bad will happen (it just doesn't look as nice), but never use more than two spaces. We're constantly amazed at how many authors apparently drum on the space bar while they're thinking about what to write next. The result is a long string of spaces in your script (and that will get your book rejected).

There's much more to formatting, of course, all of which is covered in the Smashwords Style Guide, but if you follow the first five tips described here, it will go a long way toward keeping you out of trouble.

If, after looking through the Smashwords Style Guide, you just don't feel qualified to handle the formatting (or you'd simply rather spend your time writing than trying to figure out eBook formatting riddles), we'll do it for you. Here's the link to our formatting page: http://www.fictionworks.com/ebookformatting.htm

Join us on Twitter

2011-09-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

I joined Twitter around the first of March, then got sidetracked Big Time on other ventures, so I obviously haven't done anything to attract many followers. Well, that's all changed now. I have streamlined my schedule so that I can begin doing more promotional work for The Fiction Works. Looking forward to seeing you on Twitter.

Who needs a publisher when I can do it myself and keep all the profits?"

2011-09-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

As a publisher, you'd think I'd be a bit sensitive to a remark like this. You'd think so, but you'd be wrong.

This question was presented to me by an aspiring writer at a little get-together at my home a few nights ago. He stood there, cocktail in hand, a slightly smug look on his face as he waited for my reply.

"You don't need a publisher," I said.

I received a blank stare.

"If you're a good writer, you're already ahead of the game, so you don't need a publisher unless . . . unless you're also a good editor," I added.

I paused, waiting for his comment. After a few moments of silence I went on: "And you don't need a publisher if you're a good artist and can come up with attractive cover art for your book."

Silence.

"Now, if you know how to promote your book to the media, you've really got something going for yourself."

The aspiring writer opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and took a sip of his drink.

"And if you know how to get your ISBN and submit the information to bowkerlink.com, and to dustbooks.com, well . . . now you're getting somewhere. And I assume you know how to put a good Website together."

And with that, the young fellow said something about refreshing his drink, and drifted away.

It was an interesting encounter, certainly not one that's new to me. I have been a professional writer since I was in my teens, and I'm 75 now, so I've been through the blender many times.

As a publisher, I've always been on the side of my writers, and I always will be. If any of my 100+ authors want to "go indie" I will cheerfully void our publishing agreement and wish him or her well, and I mean that.

I love the "Indie revolution" that's going on in the eBook industry. My publishing company was one of the eBook pioneers (I started it fifteen years ago). We produced eBooks in text format, then html, .rtf and .pdf, and all told we didn't sell enough books to buy a meal at a so-so restaurant.

Why? Because there wasn't a decent, inexpensive eReader available. Make no mistake, the reason eBooks are taking off now is because of the sudden abundance (relatively speaking) of eReaders from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO, Sony, etc., not to mention Apple's iPad and the various "smart phones" on the market.

Now eBooks are the "in" thing, and I think that's wonderful. Unfortunately there are thousands of eBooks being churned out by indie authors that are simply horrendous (poorly written and edited with breathtakingly bad cover art), but some of the titles are not only good, but excellent!

"Who needs a publisher when I can do it myself and keep all the profits?"

As you can see, there are two answers to this question, and they're both valid.

I try to answer all e-mails but ...

2011-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

I think it's just common courtesy to reply to e-mails, and return phone calls. Granted it's not always easy. My site receives an average of 200 e-mails each day, about 100 or so that require answering. As you can imagine, this gobbles up a lot of time but I think it's important. I hope you do, too.

It's amusing to be described as one of the "eBook Pioneers"

2011-09-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

I started The Fiction Works 15 years ago, and began producing audiobooks. But I started noticing chatter about "eBooks" on the Internet. I was intrigued, so I took some of my audio scripts and converted them into early eBooks.

To say they didn't sell is an understatement. After all, there were no eReaders at the time (the books could only be read on computer screens). Still, stubborn chap than I am, I stuck with the idea and our books began to slowly evolve with the times, as the "format of the day" dictated: text, .html, .rtf, .doc, .pdf, you name it. We duplicated our eBooks on floppy discs (yeah, it was that far back), then packaged them in plastic cases and shrink-wrapped them. They were beautiful—and they didn't sell.

Things have changed. Now I find my company in the middle of the eBook boom I'd always envisioned, and hoped for. Suddenly The Fiction Works is being referred to as one of the "eBook Pioneers" (ain't overnight success that was 15 years in the making just wonderful?).

Life is good.

What is a "fair" price to format your title for eBook use?

2011-07-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

What is a "fair" price to format your title for eBook use? Well, it's clear that there is some gouging going on across the Internet, but there are also a number of reasonably priced formatting services charging anywhere from $25 to $100.

Our fee for "Indie" authors falls somewhere in the middle of that price range. We charge a flat $60 (fiction titles only, up to 100,000 words) and we accept PayPal and most major credit cards.

After we format your file, we will send it to you as an e-mail attachment. Then you can upload it to Smashwords.com knowing your title will look good on any eBook reader. We guarantee satisfaction or your money back, no questions asked.

Can you do the formatting yourself? Absolutely you can. This truly isn't rocket science stuff. It just requires time and patience. If you're short on one or both of those two items, you might want to consider the services of a formatter.

It takes us about three hours to complete each title to our satisfaction. Some formatters say they can format a book in an hour, to which I reply, "Good for you!" That claim, however, does push my "doubt" button.

The eBook revolution is well underway, and there's a lot of competition out there. If your book has sloppy editing, amateurish cover art, or inconsistent formatting, you're not going to be able to compete on a level playing field.

If you are an "Indie" author and want to self-publish your book, have a look at our formatting service (just click on the headline at the top of this post).

A New Mary Lou Rich Historical Romance

2011-06-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

We're proud to add another Mary Lou Rich title to our site. Mountain Magic joins Mary Lou's previous novels, Bandit's Kiss and Colorado Tempest on the "must read" list for lovers of Historical Romance.

The Devil's Highway

2011-06-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Timothy C. Phillips is at it again! We have just released The Devil's Highway, the seventh book in Tim's Roland Longville Mystery Series. Available now in all popular eBook formats (and soon paperback).

Another Alaskan Thriller by Ron Hess

2011-06-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Ron Hess adds "Murder at Fire Bay" to his Alaskan Thriller offerings. Mystery and murder in America's last frontier.

"A Border Story" by Ron Hess

2011-06-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, Virginia, there IS a war going on, even though many of our politicians don't seem to believe it. The war isn't taking place in some distant land, it's on the American-Mexican border. Author Ron Hess has a tale to tell.

Laura Belgrave's, "The Claudia Hershey Mystery Series"

2011-06-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

Laura Belgrave's tough female detective, Claudia Hershey, goes toe-to-toe with some of South Florida's toughest criminals in this entertaining crime series.

New Audio Book in the Works

2011-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

We'll soon begin audio production on Jack Turley's gut-wrenching "Alzheimer's: Will I Be Next" novel. Scheduled for late summer release in downloadable format.

Barnes & Noble's latest Nook Wi-Fi "Touch" Reader

2011-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

A good eBook reader gets even better. This latest Nook is a shot across Amazon's bow, which will ultimately result in an improved Kindle in the near future. Who wins this battle of the giants? You do, with an improved eReader for less money.

New Release: "Bitterroot Blues" by Paul Moomaw

2011-06-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Paul Moomaw is a prolific writer with a devious mind. "Bitterroot Blues" follows "The Contractor" (Paul's previous winner about a Syndicate hitman).

Another Wonderful Novel by Jerry McGinley

2011-06-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Author Jerry McGinley (A Goal for Joaquin, Miles To Go Before I Sleep) has another great release with this poignant love story.

New Releases: The first two books in "The Jenny McNair Mystery Series"

2011-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

If you like sassy female detectives, you will love Felicity Nisbet's Jenny McNair. The first two, Unlawful Alliances and Winnie's Web are available now, with two to follow.

New release: Steven Lee Climer's eBook, "Mortal Web" (Horror)

2011-06-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Steven is at it again, scaring the whee out of all of us. You'll find this one highly entertaining.

Military Personnel, Please Note: Free eBook Downloads

2011-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

We are proud to participate in "Operation eBook Drop" (free eBook downloads for our troops). Military personnel (both U.S. and Allied forces), click here for details.

Mastering Creative Writing, One Day at a Time

2011-03-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Writer's Year. Sally J. Walker has been the Editorial Director for The Fiction Works since the company started, twelve years ago. In her latest book, A Writer's Year, Sally looks back over a lifetime of events and insights—great and small—that impacted her creativity in poetry, fiction, and dramatic scripting. Her resulting commentaries evolved into 365 mini-essays of a motivational-inspirational journey that can challenge any writer to rethink their own creativity . . . one day at a time. If you're a serious writer, this could be the best $4.95 you will spend on your craft.

eBook Pricing

2011-03-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that some of the larger publishing houses are nudging the retail price of their eBooks ever upward, often to the point where they cost more than the paperback edition. This is a troubling trend in my opinion. No matter what you hear from the giants of the publishing world, it costs less to produce an eBook title than it does its paperback counterpart. I have priced our titles at $4.95 across the board, which I believe is a fair price for you, our customer. It's also a fair price for the author, who spent a lot of time bringing you his or her best work. And finally, it's fair for my publishing company, as we spent money, time and effort bringing the title to market. Our broad range of titles are available in all popular eBook formats.