Half a century of living and following my dreams

I was born on December 31st, 1965, thus at the end of last year, I turned 50!.

I do not feel 50, but then what is it supposed to feel like? I am fairly fit and healthy, to which I have to credit genetics, as I exercise rarely. I also eat all sorts of junk food, but then what writer does not eat junk food? My nemesis is chocolate, and cookies, along with soft drinks.

On the fitness side of things, I am able to run down the beach, or walk for miles, with the only issue being my knees which creak and groan. They, like many of my joints, are becoming painful as time wears on. The price to pay for adding another year to my life's history I suppose.

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Authors and what they write

There are numerous categories in the literary world, seemingly an almost endless list. Starting off with the basics, all works are designated as either non-fiction or fiction. We assign a suitable age range to the work, and then from there, the options continue.

Fact based books range from historical and scientific journals, to autobiographies, and cover a wide range of topics.

Fiction is broken down into many subcategories. Some of these include; Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thrillers. Romance is the most popular, with Mysteries/Thrillers and Nonfiction coming in close together at second and third. Science Fiction and Fantasy are next, followed by Children's books and Literary Fiction who are also close in sales.

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Reflecting in the month of April

The month begins with a volley of 'April fool's' jokes. Some of these puns are extremely witty and well thought out, others not so much. But rest assured, between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all the other social media that exists, we will get to see many of these practical jokes get played out. I rarely create any April fool's hoaxes, but who knows what the future holds.

In the Southern Hemisphere, April marks the beginning of Autumn, or Fall as it is better known in America. Conversely, for the Northern Hemisphere, April marks the end of Winter, and return to warmer weather. I relish these warmer days as I get to ride my motorbike along the scenic roadways of Northern Michigan.

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2014 was a great year for Team Terran

The short stories, 'Jie's World' and 'Emma's Legacy', were completed and released. Emma's Legacy is the second of three special Journal style works; it offers an insight into events far in the future.

2014 saw a behind the scenes transition for the Apple/iTunes versions of my work. The major reason for going direct was to gain a greater control of my eBooks on the iTunes platform. We were successful. Release times have dropped from weeks, to days.

Another major initiative for 2014 has been the start of the conversion process to print versions of the Terran Chronicles Novels. We are using CreateSpace, an Amazon company, for these books. As a part of this process the main novels' associated short story is being included with each book.

Book One, 'First Contact', with 'Johnny's Jaunt', is now available in print.

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Too close to home or do you weave reality

Many writers enjoy weaving a moral story inside their works of fiction and fantasy. Real world events can often be the catalyst for amazing storylines, and their subsequent consequences. Sometimes the message conveyed is subtle, and missed. Other times the meaning to clear and obvious. In either case, once discovered, the effect on the reader can be quite profound.

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Just what is the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction

I am sometimes asked what a science fiction novel is, and if it differs from fantasy. Well first, let's tackle their individual meanings. 

Science fiction is content which is usually set in the future, or in futuristic settings. These stories usually involve space travel, scientific advancements, or alien races. A common theme of science fiction is an off world setting. Think of Frank Herbert's Dune saga, or Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.

Fantasy writing usually involves mythical beasts, magic, and strange lands, which are often inhabited by stranger creatures. Some of the most famous fantasy lands include J.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, or J.K Rowling's, Harry Potter Series. A prolific author who was ahead of her time was Enid Blyton. She wrote numerous children's fantasy books, many of which I still recall to this day.

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The technology of a writer (and avid Gamer)

The only common denominator for my title is that I do both. In reality, the computer system that is essential for writing has rather simple needs, while a gaming system definitely requires far newer technology. I will add that having multiple monitors for both is a very handy feature.

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James Jackon's Experience of Apple Publishing Directly to the iBookstore

Just like many indie authors, I am constrained as to what I can do in terms of self publishing. My home computer I write on is a Windows based system, which means publishing directly to Apple is not possible because the Apple publishing process requires an Apple Computer.  However there are companies that will, for a nominal fee, publish to Apple

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A Writers Holiday - Does it really exist in the Terran Chronicles Universe?

As this month rolls by, I realize the small vacation with my wife, and two friends, is getting very close. We are going away, which means away from the computer I use to write my stories, blogs, and pretty much everything else. I imagine that I am like many writers, in that I have a lot of ‘things’ going on at once. So how will I find the time to have a holiday?

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The glamorous routine of an Indie Author Day's in the life of.

I thought it was about time I shared with you all, how my days go by. So many blog posts are aimed at marketing and promotion, and although I enjoy reading and writing these, I really wanted to do something different this month. The benefit of writing one’s own blogs, is that you can indulge yourself from time to time.

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Considering the impact of Science Fiction eBook Character deaths.

The death of a main character in science fiction ebooks can have a profound impact, not only on the story, but on the readers and viewers as well. The writer needs to seriously look at a number of elements, for each personality involved.

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No quiet time and my thoughts are everywhere.  Where do you start?

As far as writing goes I found myself falling into a pretty basic routine. I would get home from my day job, you know, the one that pays the bills, then cook a little something to eat. After relaxing in front of the TV, where I would usually watch an episode of one sci-fi show or another, and be mentally ready. This has been working for me for over two years now?

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A suddenly epiphany and I discovered my problem.

Living in northern Michigan affords me a great opportunity to write during the cold snowy months. This last winter I could have written thousands upon thousands of words, but I did not. My word count went from around a thousand per day to mere hundreds. I had expected to convert my summer motor bike riding time into some serious writing time. So what happened?

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Exposing your characters to the reader in an eBook Series.

Stories are defined by the characters within their pages. There is often a main character who portrays a hero and conversely a villain or two. Some stories involve groups of characters that have to overcome insurmountable odds to achieve the success of their goal. This goal could simply be to stay alive!

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Promoting the eBook series rather than the author.

This modern era is both a boon and a curse for writers. We ‘indie authors’ write, edit, publish, and market our own efforts. For better or worse, millions of eBooks are now available to the public. So how do we capture the interest of the discerning readers out there? Indie authors, by definition, do not have access to a pool of professional editors, nor the resources of a major publishing house, thus the question of quality will always hang in the air. Ultimately, the decision of when the work is good

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