Contrary to popular belief, self-publishing is not as easy as 1-2-3! There’s a lot of social media based marketing to be done to build up a following to your book. Not a simple task, especially for nerds who would rather just write than communicate. But, this marketing thing is a critical success factor as they say in the corporate world. A necessary evil for the introverted, a barrier that must be overcome, tamed and trained…
Author: James
Pilot, geek, retired, happy, healthy, loves science/engineering and writing SciFi books!! 🤓
God Games- A New Book Cover and A Darkside
So, a few weeks ago I asked for your comments and suggestions to help decide on the official book cover for “Heaven’s Ant Farm.” Well, I got more than I bargained. I ended up ditching the original prototype cover AND I ended up changing the name of the book. I didn’t see that last one coming! Here’s the finished version of the winning new book cover developed by my UK illustrator, Jon Stubbington. As an…
GOD GAMES- Whipping Out That Story Tag
A few years ago, somewhere over Greenland heading toward Europe on vacation, I was working on a quick tag line for HEAVEN’S ANT FARM now retitled GOD GAMES. But a tag line is such a small space when you have so much to say. And how do I do that without getting a frosty catatonic glaze from everyone as I dive into the nuances of the plot and science behind GOD GAMES? Not to mention…
And the Winning Book Cover Illustration Is . . .
A few weeks ago, I put out a contest to get your comments and recommendations on the best book cover for “Heaven’s Ant Farm.” I got lots of views to my blog and I thank you all for your participation and support! So, let go direct to the results! Of the four illustrations, the playing card option got almost all the votes. And that surprised me! Your comments included observations like:1) “…[book] titles are supplemented…
Heaven’s Ant Farm Book Cover- Which One???
So, Jon Stubbington from the UK recently joined my virtual eBook launch team as head illustrator. Well, he’s actually the only illustrator, but the title sounds nice! I like his portfolio of illustrations that offer real life like images of people. Just as important is his approach to helping me select a great book cover for Heaven’s Ant Farm. You can see Jon’s illustration portfolio by clicking here: https://www.jonstubbington.com/ First, a little history… a few…
My Publishing Journey Changes
It has been a while since my last post about publishing my SciFi manuscript Heaven’s Ant Farm. But what with COVID, relocating and other such things, I’ve had to sideline that effort. And, to be truthful, I needed to reassess my strategy for publishing the manuscript. A strategy that, till now, was heavily focused on finding an agent to guide me through the process. Well, as most of you know, finding an agent is like…
The Oak Tree and The Acorn
In #HEAVENSANTFARM, Gwendolyn, Yahweh’s telepathic wife, schools him on the symbiotic nature of human relationships. ———- Gwendolyn pauses to gaze out toward the distant peach orchard. “I remember Mom taking me on long walks in this garden. She always told me that I was very special but incomplete, that I had to search within myself for that special someone who would complete me as a person.” Yahweh’s eyes narrow. “Incomplete? What do you mean?” “It…
Snippet From Heaven’s Ant Farm: Who’s This?
The tall elder rubs the diamonds hung around his neck as he studies this odd Yahweh fellow closely. Bewildered, he scratches his head. Yahweh—such a strange and simple name that tells nothing about him or where he’s from. He’s short, scrawny, pale, and unkempt. And he can’t speak properly. He clucks instead of clicks. Maybe he’s hungry or sick. Poor fellow. The elder sighs loudly and wonders if this stranger can even handle complex ideas.…
Snippet from Heaven’s Ant Farm: Yahweh Sees Eve
Yahweh’s heart skips a beat. Suddenly he’s back at the Great Scientific University of Heaven laboratory. He remembers seeing images of the Garden of Eden on Earth through the Pearly Gate holoviewer and watching impotently as Lucifer experimented on animals and left a trail of death in the forest. Then after figuring out how to insert a telepathic critter cam into a snake without killing it, Lucifer posed as the snake and spoke to Eve…
Snippet from Heaven’s Ant Farm: Yahweh’s Response
Lucifer tries to get Yahweh’s to worship the god called Kobibtor. But Yahweh tells Lucifer… “Our civilization spent two thousand years in caves trying to shake off its religious chains. And here you are asking me to try new shackles on for size!”