Cover Revamps (Again)

Due to lackluster sales recently, I've had to think of a new way to get eyes on a few of my stories, so again, I have revamped the covers on my Firefighter books as well as The Search For Skylar. And if you notice, I have changed it from The Firefighter Heroes Trilogy to The Firefighter Heroes Series. I am currently keeping my options open on it, as I might have a 4th Mikey book in the works for those who have stuck with the first three!

Here are the new covers:

I am currently waiting for the to go live on Amazon, but here they are! Hope you are having a great weekend, and happy reading!

J.R. 

Character Perspectives & Development

Character's perspectives are a part of writing that I probably enjoy the most. Creating a character, making that character yours, and completely making a personality for them is powerful. With that comes the perspective of the character and the range of knowledge they might possess. Before I completely lose you here, let me explain the main ideas of what this blog post will consist of today.

For example - Michael McGinnis is my main character in my Firefighter Heroes Trilogy - he has a wide array of wisdom when it comes to high rise saves, burning buildings, and intense situations. However, when it comes to speaking eloquently, let's face it, Mikey is lost. I don't claim to talk proper by any means (I have a Texas twang that I can't shake)... but I'm more likely to use bigger words than he would, though he is my character and I've developed him. I have a degree in psychology and addiction studies, but do my characters hold knowledge of the disease? - more than likely they don't.

I was chatting with a writing friend the other day and we were talking about regional terms that people might be familiar with. Here where I live, we have what we call caliche (caleechee) roads, which is just another term for gravel. She had never heard it called that. Since some of my characters are from areas where I've lived, their perspective of a gravel road might come out as caliche... and if they're from where she lives, they'd have no clue what the heck caliche is. Another question arose - a character of hers mentions cement and concrete in the same scene. And I might regret admitting this, but I honestly had no idea that cement was an ingredient to make concrete until someone had taken the time to point it out. I learned something new that day, but what if the character wasn't aware of it either? What if they were lying on the concrete and just thought cement was another term for it? I was guilty of thinking that - maybe the character is too, but the author knew exactly what they were doing.

Long story short - writing a character means we are limited in what they know. If we wrote someone who knew everything (or the same things we were experts in), they'd most likely be unlikable. Who loves a know it all? Keeping them limited also leaves room for growth and another thing I like to write - character development. Mikey has learned through the course of the three firefighter books. He's a different man from Through Smoke to Backfire, and Fire Escape because I started him off as having a limited perspective on what he knew.

To tie up my whole rambling - sometimes an author can come off ignorant due to the character they have thought up. If a character calls something wrong, take the perspective into consideration. How well educated is the character? Who is the person and where are they from? Does the character use "gonna and wanna" a lot in their dialogue? That doesn't mean the author is the same way - it just means the character might be different. Where is the book taking place? There are tons of different accents all over the world.

Breaking News!!

Good news in my writing world! Recently, I was referred to a group of authors who participate in a boxed set edition called The Thrilling Thirteen. They've already had one edition out and had a pretty successful run, grouping 13 thrillers together and selling them at a low price to readers. So, long story short, Through Smoke will be included in The Thrilling Thirteen part two! I am stoked to get more exposure on the book, and hopefully it will help people become more aware of the entire Firefighter Heroes Trilogy!

I am still planning on keeping Through Smoke free as a standalone book. Yes, completely FREE! I'd explain why I'm doing it this way, but that's a topic for another day!

With this release in the Thrilling Thirteen boxed set also means that I will be taking the trilogy out of Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Select, so for those of you who have this, snatch up the other two books before they're no longer available to borrow from Amazon. Their last day in Kindle Unlimited is January 20th, so there's still a couple of days.

Why pull them out of KU? It's simple - Thrilling Thirteen will be available in several stores and not limited to just Amazon. With the exposure I'm hoping it'll get from other websites, I'd like for readers in those markets to be able to go on and read the rest of the trilogy on Barnes and Noble, Apple, etc. Let's face it - without this chance to include Through Smoke in the boxed set, I probably wouldn't let my Kindle Select contract lapse. Sales in those other markets aren't the greatest and don't make up the difference on what my payout usually is with KU.

This is all trial and error. It's the marketing side of writing books that most people usually find very boring and don't care about. Main point of the blog - A big opportunity is on the horizon for my Firefighter Heroes Trilogy. I can't pass up a chance at extra exposure in a boxed set that has the chances of being great. Also, if you have read Through Smoke and have Kindle Unlimited, hurry and get Backfire and Fire Escape before Tuesday, otherwise, be prepared to pay for them!

Here's to a good run with the Thrilling Thirteen! I am looking forward to this upcoming opportunity!

Happy Reading!
--J.R.

Cover Revamp!

Today I took some time to revamp my Troubled Heroes Series covers. Through Smoke, Backfire, as well as the Trilogy box set all got a makeover, and here are the covers for you to take a look at!

THROUGH SMOKE: BOOK ONE

 



 

 

BACKFIRE: BOOK TWO

 

TROUBLED HEROES SERIES TRILOGY BOX SET

 

 

The books were overdue for a facelift, so here they are! I hope you all like them, and as always, HAPPY READING!

 

Kindly,

J.R. 



 

Fight for Absolution - My Red Headed Step Child

Click here to see this book in the Amazon store

 

I have decided to put Fight for Absolution free today. In the midst of Fire Escape, the third took in my Troubled Heroes Series going live, it seems that my books not included in this series have been somewhat neglected... I guess you could say that they have become the red headed step children in my library. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled at the fact that the launch of the third book in my Mikey series has done so well, but I need to give some TLC to my other babies as well.

For those who are not too familiar with the book, here is the description:

Ryan Shay wants to forget his past.  Memories of an abusive childhood, betrayal from his family, and failure to trust anyone have held him captive his whole life. Afraid to confront his demons, it's a miracle he hasn't wound up a statistic in the war on drugs. Having no real purpose or reason to get better, he has failed several rehab stints and has always gone back to the one thing he finds comfort in - drugs and alcohol.  After being accused of stealing from a local dealer, suffering from an overdose, and learning he might have a son, Ryan finds a strong reason to break the chains of his addictive past and end the cycle of his shameful ways.  He is determined to become clean, despite the constant negativity sent his way from his friends and society.  His success is not only for himself, but for someone who desperately needs him.  What could be viewed as a careless mistake to many is possibly the one thing that might save Ryan Shay's life.

I also have included a note from the author, and if you're interested, here is what I had to say about the process of writing this particular book and why I chose to do something so dark:

A note from J.R. -
-Reader discretion advised -- this book contains some graphic content.

Forgiveness won't change the past - but can do a lot for a future. This book was an idea I have thought about for several years.  I am fascinated with the human mind, from addictions, to deep rooted psychology - it is a topic I'm always thinking about.  This story poured out and I wrote it faster than any book I've ever mused about. I was a bit worried about the subject matter at first, which is why it took me so long to actually give the idea a second thought, but now that it is published, I am thankful I did it. It became a journey far more exciting, emotional, and thrilling than I ever imagined it could be. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

 

I hope that it doesn't scare readers away. In general, the book is quite dark at times, but sadly, is realistic to what many people go through in life. It isn't fantasy, it isn't something so far out there that it's unbelievable - people live with addictions and demons everyday, and I wanted to share Ryan Shay's story to those who were interested to give hope, faith, and a reason for others to try and take that huge step out to save their own lives.

 

Please help spread the word.... My Troubled Heroes Series is doing well and I would love for Fight for Absolution and Ryan's story to come out of the shadows and stand right along side Mikey and his story. I love both of these characters.

 

Happy reading! Spring is almost here!!!

 

Respectfully,

J.R.

New Release - Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series

After taking much longer than I had anticipated, Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series is now available! Here is the book blurb:

Michael McGinnis has finally escaped the clutches of alcohol, and with his brother Casey doing well in rehab, for the first time in his life, he dares to hope that what only seemed like a fantasy a year ago - a life with Eva as his wife, a child or two, and a job he was born to do - will become a reality. But Viper reaches out even from prison, and sets out to shatter Michael's dreams. With help from outside sources, he frames Michael for a string of arson cases. Desperate to clear his name, Michael becomes a fugitive, staying one step ahead of the law, but one step behind the real arsonist.

Saturday night when I was editing, it was perfect. Right when I went to the KDP website to begin uploading the manuscript, I received an email from a reader stating how much they loved the book (Through Smoke, Book one in this series) and how they understand how important character development is. I have been in a feedback drought lately, and was thrilled to hear from someone. She went on to state that she would be reading the sequel, Backfire. I just had to let her know that her timing was perfect, and that the third book would soon be available in literally a matter of hours.

I apologize for the delay in finishing - I have put reasons (excuses) toward the end of the book in a special note to all of you.

Happy reading! Stay warm out there - spring will (hopefully) be here soon! And as always, I'd love to hear from you all! Hate the book or love it, sending me a quick email, tweet, or comment on Facebook will help me improve!

Kindly,

J.R.