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My first two stand-alone novels are available in either e-book or paperback versions. A third novel is in process. I am excited to restart my newsletter soon, and I am preparing the backstory for one of the characters in my first novel as a gift to those who subscribe.

Almost everyone my age is familiar with the song Bob Dylan wrote, “The Times They Are A-Changin'.” Written over sixty years ago, the song still strikes a chord with me. (The Times They Are A-Changin’ | The Official Bob Dylan Site) I am reminded every morning of how quickly times change. Last year on Christmas Day, my wife fell on our morning walk, breaking her hip. Before she recovered from the surgery in January of this year, she suffered a stroke, which has made speaking difficult for her. We still go to the park in the morning to walk, though we walk more slowly and for shorter distances. We often walk around the pond at a nearby park. In previous blog posts, I have written about the park and the ducks and geese. Goslings, Ducklings, Squirrels, Hummingbirds The leaves changing colors, highlighted by the early morning sun, reminded me of the changing times. On our walk earlier this week, the first wigeons of the season swam near the mallards that live there all summer. Many of them grew up on the pond this year. We can’t, as the song says, avoid the changing times. Wigeons and Mallard In 2014, I started writing my first novel. I posted a sign on the bulletin board in my home office stating my commitment to write a novel. Unfortunately, the times had to change before I could honor that commitment. I had to retire from my job, which allowed me the time I needed to learn how to write and complete my book. The sign is still there today, even though I have written and self-published two novels. I am still writing, having written about three-fourths of my third book. It is a sequel to my first, and commitment is still required. Because the times have changed with my wife's health, it has made it harder to find time to write. Commitment to write a novel Writing, editing, and publishing my books takes time. Add the marketing to the fixed availability of time for the previous tasks, and you understand that even there, the times are changing. I am trying to learn how to market my books. But. I haven’t been very successful if the determining factor for success is book sales. I am using an artificial intelligence (AI) marketing tool, which I hope will reduce the time requirements and result in more book sales. It has yet to do either, but I just started using it. https://youtube.com/shorts/H46AUjqcwLo?feature=share There is considerable discussion about the use of AI by authors. I would not let AI write my novels. Though I use it to edit the text I write. I use ProWritingAid to find grammatical errors, misspellings, and other mistakes. It makes editing faster, but it still does not eliminate the need for an editor or proofreader. I hope that as the times change, these AI and other tools will help give me more time to pursue my writing. I try to live my life without regrets, but I regret that I didn’t start writing earlier in life. I enjoyed my job and the people with whom I worked, but writing provides a different type of satisfaction. There is no other feeling like holding a copy of the book you wrote in your hands or having someone talk to you about enjoying reading it. However, I would like to make money at it too. If you enjoy my periodic blogs, please leave a comment and subscribe to receive my newsletter. I will be sending out notifications on the availability of my new book, and also announcing opportunities to receive free backstory chapters that were not in the final version of Salvation and Doom. Read the full article

Endless Morass Marketing for an unknown self-published author seems like an endless morass. It reminds me of the Dead Marshes in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers. “Dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long forgotten summers.” I get an endless stream of messages and comments on my Instagram and Facebook posts. They offer to help me with marketing and promoting my books. Of course, there is a fee for their help. Dreary Endless Morass AI Image The messages usually begin with compliments about my book, which they haven’t read. Most of what they say, they gleaned from my Amazon pages (Amazon.com: Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store) and published reviews. The primary pitches I have encountered are: Amazon optimization to update the blurbs, keywords, and categories; bulk reviews to get large numbers of reviews posted on Amazon. I fell for it. An Instagram author friend recommended someone to do the blurb. I checked out the author’s Amazon pages, and everything looked great, so I believed her. But I needed to do more research. Just because someone's Instagram profile looks good doesn’t mean they are who they claim they are. I paid to have an Amazon optimization done to improve my appeal to potential readers and to have some promotional materials made. The marketing consultant was negotiating for bulk reviews when I received the promotional materials, which included an inappropriate video that demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the book and images that were no better than I could produce on my own using Canva. (Home - Canva) When I emailed her about the video, I didn’t receive a response. Follow-up emails didn’t work. I tried direct messages through Messenger, but the messages were undeliverable because the profiles for the marketing rep and the author “friend” had been deleted. Lesson Learned When I first started with the rep, I had asked for a website. She provided a website to a marketing organization. I contacted them. They assured me that the rep was an agent of theirs. But when I didn’t receive any response, I contacted them again. They replied that the rep was no longer associated with them due to inconsistencies. I guess I’ve learned a lesson. My book sales haven’t increased. I can’t determine what, if any, changes she made to my blurb. It’s hard for me when I believe my books are good and that people will like them if they read them. I need to listen to the experts who say you need more than one or two books before you begin a marketing campaign. )The Depressing Naivety Of A First Time Self-published Author) If you enjoy my blog, please use the pop-up to sign up for my mailing list to receive updates, offers, and my newsletter when it is ready. Read the full article

Spring Spring is here. The time of renewal and new life has arrived, and I am ready for it. The last six months have presented many trials both at home and in my writing. Last year on Christmas Day, my wife fell and broke her hip. Fortunately, while she lay in the emergency room, the attending physician saw one of the hospital’s orthopedic surgeons, who looked at the X-rays. The surgeon talked to us and offered to operate on her hip that afternoon, using screws, pins, and a plate to hold the head of her femur together, if we would transfer her to a larger hospital. We agreed; the surgery succeeded; and two months later, the fracture had healed. However, before her hip finished healing, she had a stroke caused by a blood clot blocking the flow to parts of her brain. The damage occurred in the area responsible for language. A condition known as aphasia. Her speech has improved and continues to improve, but communication can still be frustrating. This leads me to hope for renewal in my life. Geese We like one Park near our house because it has a pond where ducks and geese live. Most springs, baby goslings and baby ducks remind us of the new life that comes this time of year. (Goslings, Ducklings, Squirrels, Hummingbirds) The differences in parenting style between ducks and geese amaze me. This year, the geese have five rapidly growing goslings. They are protective parents who hiss and threaten us if we get too close, especially if we have the dog. One gosling has an injured leg and limps, so when the family grazes in the grass, it becomes separated from the others. But the father stands guard over his injured child. The family will stay together throughout the summer and occasionally fly off together on their migration. Ducks Ducks have a different parenting style. Though there aren’t any ducklings on the pond yet, I expect some next week. Walking around the pond lately, only the male mallards are there. They swim, sit, or waddle on the grass alone or in small groups of two or three. The females sit on their hidden nests. The dad’s job is done, and mom’s is beginning. Once the ducklings hatch, she leads them to the water and watches over them for a while. But unlike the geese, she doesn’t keep them together. It isn’t long before the “peep-peep-peep” of the little ducks comes from the farthest reaches of the pond. The ducklings mature independently into functioning adults. When I look at my life and the three children we raised, as well as the grandchildren they have raised, I’m not sure which parenting style is more effective. I think that only God, our perfect, heavenly father, who has known each of us since before we were born, knows. Even then, our stubborn self-will interferes. When Carol fell on Christmas Day, we know God was there to protect us and lead us through the unexpected situation. From friends driving by the park helping Carol to the car, to the orthopedic surgeon just happening by the emergency room, to the break not requiring a hip replacement, to surgery less than twelve hours later, God showed up. Apology I apologize for not sending this out sooner. My contact management add-in expired, and I had to change to a different one. I'm still working on the setup. Please use the new pop-up box to subscribe to my newsletter and new post notifications. (Even if you have already subscribed, please go through the process again so I can determine what changes are required.) Comment on the post and let me know if the blog is worthwhile. Read the full article

April Fool's Day As I write this on April 1, 2025, I am reminded of the best April Fool’s prank ever played on me. One day, years ago, when our kids still lived at home, I returned from work and got into the shower. I picked up the new bar of soap from the dish and tried to lather up, but I couldn't get any soap, no matter how much or how hard I rubbed. Eventually, I just washed with the shampoo. Afterwards, when I got out and dried, my son and daughter stood outside the door laughing. I learned they had coated the new bar of soap with clear fingernail polish. It looked like soap, and felt like soap, but it was waterproof. Monster Trout Also on April Fool’s Day, fifty-eight years ago, my dad caught the largest trout I have ever held or seen out of the water. The monster, a thirty-inch, eleven-pound, six-ounce brown trout, came from the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. Unfortunately, I missed the battle while fishing upstream from him. I had to get up to the road along the river to go around some large boulders, and looked down to see cars and people lining the road. When I got close to where our truck was parked, I heard a war whoop from across the river. Looking over, I saw Dad holding the monster trout. People on the road cheered. Dad had to sit and calm down on the other side of the river. He smoked a cigarette before walking upstream to where he could ford the river. When he got across to the truck, we put the fish and our gear in the back and drove to the store in Lake George, where they weighed the fish on a certified scale, and the owner took Polaroid pictures of the fish he pinned up in the store with other photos of big fish. We took more pictures when we got home, and Dad spent the money to mount the fish. It still hangs above the desk where I write. My kids once bought me a T-shirt that said, “I don’t need a fish finder. I am one.” I think that expression applied to my father. It didn’t matter where or how he fished; he always caught fish. He taught me everything I know about fishing, but I am not as good at it. Missing Dad This time of year always brings up memories of my father. His ninety-fifth birthday would have been March 26th. I’m sure he would still catch fish if he were alive. The days I spent with him fishing the Colorado lakes and rivers around Colorado Springs, or wading the rivers near Springfield, Missouri, on vacation, are forged into my soul. I got brief glimpses of those days when I would take one or more of my grandkids fishing. I hope they remember those days fondly as they leave home to start lives and families of their own. My dad New Book My new book, Lightning’s Edge: Lost World Odyssey, is available as either an e-book or a paperback. Both versions are available from Amazon. (Amazon.com: Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store) Your favorite bookstore can order the paperback for you, or you can order it directly from my website. Read the full article

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Milestones August turned into a busy and exciting time for me. Early in the month, my eldest daughter married her long-time beau. They both appeared thrilled. Both had previous marriages that didn't work out contributing to the long pre-marriage relationship. Then at the end of the month, my wife and I celebrated our fifty-fourth wedding anniversary. I am still amazed that God could take two selfish and naïve hippies and join them together in a lasting, loving, and mutually beneficial relationship. Happy 54th Anniversary Lightning's Edge In the middle of the month, I received the final cover design for my second novel. Though I thought of waiting until after the first of the year to release it, I set the tentative release date to mid-November. I uploaded the manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing and ordered a proof copy of the paperback. My wife will read through it, acting as a final proofread before publishing. Next month, I will reveal the cover and hopefully have a video or pictures showing the proof copy. Lightning's Edge Between now and November advanced reader copies (ARC’s) will go out so that on the release date the readers can post reviews on Amazon. Getting reviews on Amazon is very important to sales for the book. My first novel has only five reviews. The minimum requirement for Amazon to take the reviews seriously is 20, and if a book gets 100 five-star reviews, Amazon will put it in front of more people, increasing sales. So, if you have read Salvation and Doom, write a review. Salvation and Doom Sequel I have started writing the sequel to Salvation and Doom. The plan is to publish it late next year if I complete it in time. The sequel seems to be harder to write than the original even though it revolves around many of the same characters. But, thinking about it, Salvation and Doom took seven years to write. Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author If you enjoyed reading my blog, add your email to the pop-up box and subscribe to my mailing list. Read the full article

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First Book This is an exciting time for me as a writer. My second novel is ready to format and upload for publishing as soon as I get my final cover design. Thinking about my second novel reminds me of when we had our second child. Our first child came into this world fourteen months after our wedding. I felt excited but also fearful that something would go wrong, and it was a difficult delivery. When I first saw my son, he hadn’t been completely cleaned up and his head was misshapen from the forceps. When my wife asked me if I had seen him and how beautiful and perfect he was, I hesitated. My first novel came into the world with high expectations, but it didn’t sell despite the rave reviews from the initial readers. (Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author) Eight months later, I still receive compliments on my cover whenever I post it on social media. Miblart, MIBLART | Book cover design services, the company that designed the cover for my first book, is designing the second cover as well. The initial design looked great but needed some minor changes. I should receive the updated design in the next week or two. With the cover, I can upload everything to Amazon and Ingram Sparks, for their review. If there are no errors, the book will be ready to publish, and I can set a release date for later this year. Second Book When we decided to have a second child seven years after the first, there was the same excitement but less fear. We knew what to expect and had more confidence in ourselves as parents. One difference though between releasing the books and having children is not knowing the exact date of the birth, especially since my wife didn’t require a c-section. With the book, I set the date. If I establish a late November or December publishing date, I will have four or five months to do the prepublication tasks that I left only six weeks to accomplish for my first book. After acceptance by Amazon and Ingram Sparks, advanced reader copies (ARCs) need to go out to reviewers to read and prepare Amazon reviews for posting on the release date. I didn’t do a good job of getting ARCs out on the first book. As a result, I only have 6 reviews on Amazon. Amazon's algorithm and readers like to have a minimum of twenty reviews. My goal is to reach or exceed that benchmark. The plan is to provide the ARC readers two to three months before the release date so they can comfortably finish the book.  If you would be interested in participating as an ARC reader, use the contact form on my website, Contact - C Buck Jones, or if you read this on Facebook, let me know through a comment. I will provide you with either an ePub or a pdf file to read. Proof Also, before the release date, I will have proof copies of the paperback sent to me from Amazon's and Ingram Sparks' print-on-demand services. These will undergo a final proofreading.  Whether it is your first child or sixth, the joy of seeing the newborn baby brings hope and happiness into your life. When the proof copies arrive, I get similar feelings of hope and happiness. Hope that the beautiful new baby will sell and be enjoyed by others. Happiness in holding the physical evidence of a book that I wrote. Salvation and Doom Proof Copy If you enjoy reading my blog, please use the pop-up to sign up to receive notifications and use the contact form to let me know you would like to receive my newsletter where I will provide updates on the launch for Lightning's Edge my new book. Read the full article

First Book This is an exciting time for me as a writer. My second novel is ready to format and upload for publishing as soon as I get my final cover design. Thinking about my second novel reminds me of when we had our second child. Our first child came into this world fourteen months after our wedding. I felt excited but also fearful that something would go wrong, and it was a difficult delivery. When I first saw my son, he hadn’t been completely cleaned up and his head was misshapen from the forceps. When my wife asked me if I had seen him and how beautiful and perfect he was, I hesitated. My first novel came into the world with high expectations, but it didn’t sell despite the rave reviews from the initial readers. (Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author) Eight months later, I still receive compliments on my cover whenever I post it on social media. Miblart, MIBLART | Book cover design services, the company that designed the cover for my first book, is designing the second cover as well. The initial design looked great but needed some minor changes. I should receive the updated design in the next week or two. With the cover, I can upload everything to Amazon and Ingram Sparks, for their review. If there are no errors, the book will be ready to publish, and I can set a release date for later this year. Second Book When we decided to have a second child seven years after the first, there was the same excitement but less fear. We knew what to expect and had more confidence in ourselves as parents. One difference though between releasing the books and having children is not knowing the exact date of the birth, especially since my wife didn’t require a c-section. With the book, I set the date. If I establish a late November or December publishing date, I will have four or five months to do the prepublication tasks that I left only six weeks to accomplish for my first book. After acceptance by Amazon and Ingram Sparks, advanced reader copies (ARCs) need to go out to reviewers to read and prepare Amazon reviews for posting on the release date. I didn’t do a good job of getting ARCs out on the first book. As a result, I only have 6 reviews on Amazon. Amazon's algorithm and readers like to have a minimum of twenty reviews. My goal is to reach or exceed that benchmark. The plan is to provide the ARC readers two to three months before the release date so they can comfortably finish the book.  If you would be interested in participating as an ARC reader, use the contact form on my website, Contact - C Buck Jones, or if you read this on Facebook, let me know through a comment. I will provide you with either an ePub or a pdf file to read. Proof Also, before the release date, I will have proof copies of the paperback sent to me from Amazon's and Ingram Sparks' print-on-demand services. These will undergo a final proofreading.  Whether it is your first child or sixth, the joy of seeing the newborn baby brings hope and happiness into your life. When the proof copies arrive, I get similar feelings of hope and happiness. Hope that the beautiful new baby will sell and be enjoyed by others. Happiness in holding the physical evidence of a book that I wrote. Salvation and Doom Proof Copy If you enjoy reading my blog, please use the pop-up to sign up to receive notifications and use the contact form to let me know you would like to receive my newsletter where I will provide updates on the launch for Lightning's Edge my new book. Read the full article

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Books and Authors I like As a young man, I enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy. Books like Dune, Dune Novels – The Official Dune Website, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien Gateway, are favorites I have read multiple times. But not all the books I enjoyed were long massive tomes. I enjoy shorter, less literary works like those by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. G. Wells, Author Conan Doyle, and C. S. Lewis. So, during the editing of my first book, Salvation and Doom, I started writing my second book. (My Manuscript is finished. Time to prepare for publishing.) I thought of writing a fun science fiction book like A Princess of Mars, John Carter of Mars® Series New Book In Process It only took a few months to have the first draft of the book complete, compared to the years for my first book. The proofreader will finish with the final draft of the book next week. I can format the manuscript and order a cover design. I sent out social media posts asking for help with the book title and received several responses but tried a different approach using A.I. to generate a title and book blurb based on the summary I provided. The title of it is Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey. And the blurb is below: When a bolt of lightning from a clear sky propels middle-aged Ryan and his loyal dog, Toby, into a perilous and primitive world, putting their survival skills to the ultimate test. From enduring capture by ruthless slavers and battling fierce pirates to navigating the treetop villages of a mythical winged race, Ryan's odyssey is a heart-pounding adventure through a land filled with danger and mystery. As he seeks the secrets held by a tribal medicine man, Ryan's determination to return home conflicts with the relationships he develops and the uncertainty of his future there. In "Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey," embark on a journey where every step is a battle for survival, every encounter a test of trust, and every moment a fight against the odds. Will Ryan unlock the path back to his world, or will he remain forever lost in this strange and wondrous land? Suzueco - the dragon from the new book is really more like a giant bat. Image generated using A.I. I submitted the summary to the company that designed my last cover for a free design concept and their idea fit the new title without knowing the book's title. The excitement is building as publishing nears and I prepare to send out advanced reader copies for review. I had fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it. Read the full article

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The Money Pit Last weekend, I had lunch with my son-in-law, one of my grandsons, and my daughter's fiancee. During the meal, part of the conversation revolved around the fiancee’s progress on restoring an old pickup truck. Whenever he thought the end was near, something else would come up. For example, he changed from drum brakes to disc brakes. As a result, he had to change out the rims, and the new rims required new tires. It reminded me of the old movie The Money Pit (The Money Pit (1986) - IMDb) with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long renovating an old house. The renovations went on and on with no end in sight. The truck renovation is not nearly as involved as the house in the movie, but it made me think about my experience as a self-published author. Marketing and Sales Over the last several months, I have written about the trials and tribulations of a self-published author struggling with book sales,(Book Sales and Marketing Is Work), not knowing how to market, and the ongoing expenses. Lately, I have explored different marketing avenues. I had an Instagram book blogger review my book. (Buck Jones (@buck.jones.507) • Instagram photos and videos) This resulted in a lot of interest with nearly 700 likes and comments on the post, and it nearly doubled my Instagram following. However, the bottom line is it resulted in zero sales and a deluge of other bloggers wanting to post about my book for a fee. I contacted book marketing companies that promised a minimum 200% return on investment. But the packages they offered ran from $1500 to $6000 with a significant payment upfront. This was over my current budget. I will continue to struggle through various free and lower-cost options, especially since I have already contracted with an editor on my second book, which I hope to publish later this year. Final Words If you enjoy reading my blog, please leave a comment and sign up for my newsletter. I intend to announce a giveaway of a signed copy of my book to one subscriber this summer. Salvation and Doom Cover You can buy my book Salvation and Doom directly by using this link: Buy Salvation and Doom:The Cathardi Prophecy (ingramspark.com) Read the full article