Ask the Author: J.J. Overton
Answered Questions (17)
J.J. Overton
Yes, I'll do that, Larry. It could be next in line after I have finished reading 'Adriana' by Mark Angelo Lusardi.
If you like, you can email me with your details using the 'Contact' tab on my website, www.jjoverton.com
Regards,
JJ.
If you like, you can email me with your details using the 'Contact' tab on my website, www.jjoverton.com
Regards,
JJ.
J.J. Overton
Hi Karen, that's a good question. Inspiration, for me, comes from varied sources. I'll tell you at the start of this answer that I have a folder on my desktop with over twenty ideas for books. Some of them have been expanded with a paragraphing or two, others with a few chapters, five or six remain as just the idea of the name for a book.
Notable events and real characters who have influenced life in some way can be the springboard from where begins an inspiring story or where, with a change of name and apologies, credible detail can be added to a novel.
I also find that there are certain words or word groupings that have weight beyond just the words. They reach the heart, tug out emotions and create a life of their own. This energy has to go somewhere and it goes into the writing of a book.
Best regards,
JJ
Notable events and real characters who have influenced life in some way can be the springboard from where begins an inspiring story or where, with a change of name and apologies, credible detail can be added to a novel.
I also find that there are certain words or word groupings that have weight beyond just the words. They reach the heart, tug out emotions and create a life of their own. This energy has to go somewhere and it goes into the writing of a book.
Best regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi Chuck,
Could be a good idea. I do have a book lined up to read and review for another acquaintance, so it would have to be after that is finished. I would not be into writing a review that is like a novel in itself, but it would be succinct. How would you propose we do the swap? Do you have an ebook version of your book? I do have an ebook version of Leofwin's Hundred, the first book of a sci fi series, which I would like reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads.
Regards,
JJ
Could be a good idea. I do have a book lined up to read and review for another acquaintance, so it would have to be after that is finished. I would not be into writing a review that is like a novel in itself, but it would be succinct. How would you propose we do the swap? Do you have an ebook version of your book? I do have an ebook version of Leofwin's Hundred, the first book of a sci fi series, which I would like reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads.
Regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi Micielle,
Sorry for the late reply, but thanks for asking this question.
I guess I have been intrigued by the subject of time for a long while. How a familiar place can change quite quickly, and become unrecognisable by the addition of buildings or the change of road layout, has the potential for a novel where the core subject is that of time.
Populate this imaginary world by people interacting with their surroundings and the circumstances of their lives and a storyline begins to appear. Into the mix introduce an alien race who, in the far distant past, visit the Earth, find that it is a good place to be, and, as in my novel, Leofwin’s Hundred, they build a structure, that is part of an intergalactic transport system, deep within one of Earth’s primeval forests.
The mystery of the great Forest of Arden, as it used to be when it spread for many miles in every direction was the driving force for the first novel of The Grid Saga, and the characters introduced march on through the next books of the series. The follow up to Leofwin’s Hundred, Second Pass, is currently being proof-read.
I hope this information answers your question.
Kind regards,
JJ
Sorry for the late reply, but thanks for asking this question.
I guess I have been intrigued by the subject of time for a long while. How a familiar place can change quite quickly, and become unrecognisable by the addition of buildings or the change of road layout, has the potential for a novel where the core subject is that of time.
Populate this imaginary world by people interacting with their surroundings and the circumstances of their lives and a storyline begins to appear. Into the mix introduce an alien race who, in the far distant past, visit the Earth, find that it is a good place to be, and, as in my novel, Leofwin’s Hundred, they build a structure, that is part of an intergalactic transport system, deep within one of Earth’s primeval forests.
The mystery of the great Forest of Arden, as it used to be when it spread for many miles in every direction was the driving force for the first novel of The Grid Saga, and the characters introduced march on through the next books of the series. The follow up to Leofwin’s Hundred, Second Pass, is currently being proof-read.
I hope this information answers your question.
Kind regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi Jacob,
The answer to this is yes, in general, but only if Kindle is requested by the author to push the revised book to previous purchasers. However, there are a few stipulations with which you can acquaint yourself by reading the Amazon KDP Support thread, via the following link.
http://amzn.to/2iKwFwF
It seems that customers are also in charge of this Kindle ebook updating feature, as outlined via the following Amazon link.
http://amzn.to/2yX6FlB
Hope this helps,
Regards,
JJ
The answer to this is yes, in general, but only if Kindle is requested by the author to push the revised book to previous purchasers. However, there are a few stipulations with which you can acquaint yourself by reading the Amazon KDP Support thread, via the following link.
http://amzn.to/2iKwFwF
It seems that customers are also in charge of this Kindle ebook updating feature, as outlined via the following Amazon link.
http://amzn.to/2yX6FlB
Hope this helps,
Regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi Mgbuje,
I self-published my science fiction book, Leofwin’s Hundred, about 18 months ago through CreateSpace after having had the manuscript edited by someone on Fiverr. Like you, due to having a budget to work to, I didn’t pay to have a top-flight editor do the job. I got what I paid for, and let’s face it, an editor is human.
After the print on demand book had been published for a while, I began to notice various errors in the manuscript. I decided to bite the bullet and go for a round of revision. I contacted CreateSpace and they told me where, on my project homepage with them, I could access the manuscript file, (Word .docx) which I then downloaded.
Having this file to hand I was able to revise all of the errors that I had become aware of. When I was happy with the result I re-submitted the .docx manuscript file, which CreateSpace re-formatted to my book interior.
I requested a physical proof copy of the book from them, and checked this through to ensure that all of the changes had been made as required. The next stage was to go back to my CreateSpace project homepage to press the button, agreeing to publish the book. The downside of this process is that I had to pay for the process.
Although I was concerned that all of the original errors had been published in the first place, and I was embarrassed about that, at no stage did I contemplate unpublishing the book, nor was the ISBN changed. The title remained the same too, after the corrections to the book interior.
I can only speak after going through this process with a print on demand book, which is also available in an ebook version. I notice that your project is an ebook. The principle remains the same; access the book file, work on it, and then re-submit the file. I am pretty sure that you can access your Kindle book interior on your author page with Kindle; make your changes, accept them, and then press the button to publish. If I remember correctly, you will be able to do this without charge, but you will have to check on that.
I hope this information helps.
Best regards,
JJ
I self-published my science fiction book, Leofwin’s Hundred, about 18 months ago through CreateSpace after having had the manuscript edited by someone on Fiverr. Like you, due to having a budget to work to, I didn’t pay to have a top-flight editor do the job. I got what I paid for, and let’s face it, an editor is human.
After the print on demand book had been published for a while, I began to notice various errors in the manuscript. I decided to bite the bullet and go for a round of revision. I contacted CreateSpace and they told me where, on my project homepage with them, I could access the manuscript file, (Word .docx) which I then downloaded.
Having this file to hand I was able to revise all of the errors that I had become aware of. When I was happy with the result I re-submitted the .docx manuscript file, which CreateSpace re-formatted to my book interior.
I requested a physical proof copy of the book from them, and checked this through to ensure that all of the changes had been made as required. The next stage was to go back to my CreateSpace project homepage to press the button, agreeing to publish the book. The downside of this process is that I had to pay for the process.
Although I was concerned that all of the original errors had been published in the first place, and I was embarrassed about that, at no stage did I contemplate unpublishing the book, nor was the ISBN changed. The title remained the same too, after the corrections to the book interior.
I can only speak after going through this process with a print on demand book, which is also available in an ebook version. I notice that your project is an ebook. The principle remains the same; access the book file, work on it, and then re-submit the file. I am pretty sure that you can access your Kindle book interior on your author page with Kindle; make your changes, accept them, and then press the button to publish. If I remember correctly, you will be able to do this without charge, but you will have to check on that.
I hope this information helps.
Best regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi John, I haven't got an easy answer. I am fortunate, in that I have a few friends and acquaintances who give me honest, detailed reviews. However, addressing your question, I would be tempted to respond to folks who post that they are prepared to do reviews. I would look at the results of their efforts to gauge the quality of the analysis.
J.J. Overton
Sandra and I were at Land's End, in Cornwall. We were holidaying with our two young sons. At the time, in the early seventies, we had a distinctive green Vauxhall Viva, and we were parked up at The First and Last Inn. A lot of people had the same idea, and the car park was nearly full. Sandra wanted a G & T, the boys wanted coke, and we all wanted crisps. I came back from the bar with the order on a tray.
Imagine this. You go away from your family and return to your car a few minutes later only to find that instead of your wife and two sons, four men are sitting in your car. Your heart skips a beat as you size the situation up. It could turn nasty. What the hell. You are there for your wife and kids. You go to the car. The guy in the driving seat winds the window down.
"What's going on," you ask.
The four in the car look at you in a cold, blank sort of way.
It is then that you notice another green Vauxhall Viva, parked fifty feet or so away. You saunter towards it without another word, without looking back, and you give your wife and kids their drinks and crisps.
What if your wife and kids were not there. That it was not a case of mistaken identity; the four men were actually in your car.
What had occurred?
How would you get your family back?
Would you get your family back?
Imagine this. You go away from your family and return to your car a few minutes later only to find that instead of your wife and two sons, four men are sitting in your car. Your heart skips a beat as you size the situation up. It could turn nasty. What the hell. You are there for your wife and kids. You go to the car. The guy in the driving seat winds the window down.
"What's going on," you ask.
The four in the car look at you in a cold, blank sort of way.
It is then that you notice another green Vauxhall Viva, parked fifty feet or so away. You saunter towards it without another word, without looking back, and you give your wife and kids their drinks and crisps.
What if your wife and kids were not there. That it was not a case of mistaken identity; the four men were actually in your car.
What had occurred?
How would you get your family back?
Would you get your family back?
J.J. Overton
I think the most honest answer to this question is by saying that it is a couple who inhabit the world within my own science fiction book, Leofwin's Hundred. Jem Dearden and the Anglo-Saxon woman, Rowan of Maldon, meet as the result of a timeshift that occurs in a remnant of the ancient Forest of Arden. The millennium of time that separates their cultures does not stop the love that they have for each other.
J.J. Overton
Hi Arifah.
After writing my first draft I worked through it a second time, and then beta readers (people who I knew) read my book. Subsequently, I worked through the manuscript a number of times. My advice, as a first option, is to try to get people you know, who will give you an honest opinion, to read your manuscript, and then if need be, to make corrections. Other people will spot errors and spelling mistakes you have missed. However, it is your manuscript. What you want is for people to make constructive comments. If your writing is a novel, you don't want those who read it to alter the story!
The next stage would be to have an editor read the manuscript. The obvious problem with that is that it could be expensive. Of course, this depends on your budget and the word count of your manuscript. If money is tight, fiverr could be an option for finding someone to do editing for you. This is the link to fiverr. https://www.fiverr.com/
I used an editor who I found on fiverr. She did a reasonable job, but if you go down this route, do your research, and ask to see some examples of editing work from those you approach, to save being ripped off. Fiverr may also be a good source where you could find beta readers, but here's a link that could be useful. http://betareadershub.tumblr.com/
Really, the more polished your manuscript can be before submitting it to a printer, the better it would be for your readers; of course, that's important. It is also useful to try to put the writing aside for a couple of weeks and then go back to it. You will then be able to view it more objectively yourself. What I found difficult was when to let the manuscript go and say NO MORE REVISIONS, publish now!
Do you intend to opt for print on demand, and e-book publishing?
Regards,
JJ
After writing my first draft I worked through it a second time, and then beta readers (people who I knew) read my book. Subsequently, I worked through the manuscript a number of times. My advice, as a first option, is to try to get people you know, who will give you an honest opinion, to read your manuscript, and then if need be, to make corrections. Other people will spot errors and spelling mistakes you have missed. However, it is your manuscript. What you want is for people to make constructive comments. If your writing is a novel, you don't want those who read it to alter the story!
The next stage would be to have an editor read the manuscript. The obvious problem with that is that it could be expensive. Of course, this depends on your budget and the word count of your manuscript. If money is tight, fiverr could be an option for finding someone to do editing for you. This is the link to fiverr. https://www.fiverr.com/
I used an editor who I found on fiverr. She did a reasonable job, but if you go down this route, do your research, and ask to see some examples of editing work from those you approach, to save being ripped off. Fiverr may also be a good source where you could find beta readers, but here's a link that could be useful. http://betareadershub.tumblr.com/
Really, the more polished your manuscript can be before submitting it to a printer, the better it would be for your readers; of course, that's important. It is also useful to try to put the writing aside for a couple of weeks and then go back to it. You will then be able to view it more objectively yourself. What I found difficult was when to let the manuscript go and say NO MORE REVISIONS, publish now!
Do you intend to opt for print on demand, and e-book publishing?
Regards,
JJ
J.J. Overton
Hi Ton, good to hear from you. Thanks for your comments.
JJ
JJ
J.J. Overton
With 'Second Pass', it developed naturally. The story just had to continue where 'Leofwin's Hundred' finished, and there is much more to come in The Grid Saga. With the non-fiction book I recognised a need. I'm saying no more, you will have to wait and see!
J.J. Overton
It could be a setting that provokes atmosphere, a phrase, or an event. Any of these could strike a chord, and then the story flows.
J.J. Overton
The second volume of The Grid Saga. It's called 'Second Pass', and it continues where 'Leofwin's Hundred', the first volume, concludes. I am also working on a non-fiction book, but I am saying no more about that at present.
J.J. Overton
Write the book first; worry about publishing it later.
J.J. Overton
Entering the exciting world of my characters.
J.J. Overton
I don't get writer's block. Sometimes a bit of lethargy creeps in after a hard day, and I have to use some mental stamina to face the keyboard.
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