WIPs

Rewrites and new stories

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I’ve decided to pull both ‘Not Yet Dark‘ and ‘Beneath the Blue Irises‘ from the market, so I can do some significant rewrites and additions to them. Although the details are different, in both cases I felt the stories were not fully baked and needed changes to get them where I want them to be. I do feel that both contain some of my best writing in parts, just not as a whole.

I’ve also begun outlining a story I’ve had in mind for years, one which I unofficially call ‘All the Changing Seasons.’ This is significant for me personally for a few reasons, one of which is that this is the first net new story I’ve begun writing in well over a year. All other work has been on tweaking\finalizing\marketing old stories, as well as things like the website and the monthly local author readings at Elissimo. Feels good to have those creative juices flowing again!

~JM Ames
Expect the Unexpected

Destiny Reborn and Pacific Dunes – the future of my writing

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Hello, folks,
While I haven’t been doing much writing per se lately, I have been submitting older stories to publishers and continuing to improve the website. I’ve also been working on the direction that future net-new stories will go (not including ones already in flight).
A good chunk of them will be part of the Destiny Reborn series I have in the works. This is an epic, global Fantasy\SciFi novel series that is several years out, but the universe of it will cover many other stories. ‘Endless Skies‘ is the only story out now which is related to it.

A large set of stories – both Destiny Reborn-related and not – will be local to Orange County, California, where I’ve lived since I was a toddler. Fact and fiction will be blended together here, with most locales being true to real life but with an additional town called Pacific Dunes being added. This will be a somewhat seedy city, complete with corrupt officials and a long history of unusual happenings. To be located north of Huntington Beach and south of Seal Beach. Some fictitious individuals in this area will be in multiple stories.

Not all stories will be in Orange County \ Southern California, nor all related to Destiny Reborn, but after I finish up the stories in flight this will be the trend. The upcoming short stories ‘Ally’s Dog’ and ‘Blackstar,’ as well as the standalone novel-in-progress ‘Ursa Major’ are all related to both – being at least partially located locally, and having some kind of tie-in with Destiny Reborn.
More to come!
~JM Ames

‘The Californian’ is out now, ‘Waves’ due out February 15th!

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Folks,

It may be some time next month before I can update the website fully, but here are some updates for you in the meantime.

‘The Californian’ has officially been published now in Scout Media’s ‘A Flash of Words’ anthology. You can pick it up now on Amazon or the Scout Media website.  AFOW2

‘Waves’ will be published on February 15th in the ‘Charmed Writers Present Flash Fiction 2019’ anthology. Stay tuned for more details!

While a release date has yet to be announced, ‘Thankful’ has been accepted into Zombie Pirate Publishing’s ‘Flash Fiction Addiction’ anthology. Will provide more detail as I get it.

Both ‘Not Yet Dark’ and ‘Karma’ are out to publishers now.

Stay well-read my friends, and always Expect the Unexpected!

~JM Ames

JM Ames to pen foreword in upcoming short story collection!

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Fall is shaping up to be quite the busy season!

In addition to two electrifying Flash Fiction anthologies that contain a story of mine coming out, I have had the honor of being asked to write the foreword of an upcoming collection of short stories by a well-known and respected member of the Indie Author community. I am still writing said foreword, but once it is done and the author approves, I will reveal who it is. This really is an incredible honor and a first for me.

Upcoming releases:  ‘Waves‘ in Charmed Writers Presents Flash Fiction 2018, and ‘The Californian‘ in A Flash of Words.

I also have ‘Not Yet Dark‘, ‘Thankful‘ and ‘Karma‘ out to publishers now.

Stories I am actively working on:

  • Phil – Those of you who have been with me since the beginning may remember this one. It was the very attempt of mine at writing a story. It is quite interesting for me to revisit what I thought was good writing 3 years ago. This is getting a full rewrite. A struggling beauty salon in Cambria, California gets the karmic balance it needs when a highly unusual Rhododendron is placed in it’s waiting area. Fantasy, PG-13.
  • Allie’s Dog – Fate brings young Allie together with a young seal pup off of Catalina Island, California. As they grow older, their bond grows unusually deep. When an unnatural disaster threatens the island as a whole, the two must work together to save everyone, including each other. This is a Destiny Reborn story.  Fantasy, PG-13.
  • Blackstar – Modern-day prospectors search for long-lost veins of gold and silver near Silverado, California. They finally find what they were searching for, but have also found what has been protecting it all these years- and it is not at all happy about that. Fantasy, PG-13
  • The Cleansing – Follows a twisted psychopath’s descent into madness, mayhem, and murder. Horror, NC-17.

Which one interests you the most?

~JM Ames
Expect the Unexpected.

‘Karma’ on the market, ‘Not Yet Dark’ wrapping up, and teasers

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Folks,

The 100-word, San Francisco-based horror drabble ‘Karma‘ is now officially on the market, and has been added to the Coming Soon page.

My wartime family drama ‘Not Yet Dark‘ is going through some minor last-minute revisions, and will be on the Market within a couple days.

Some teasers for other stories in the works:

* Ally’s Dog – Catalina Island-based story of a powerful young girl, and her unusual connection to an unusual seal – and a Pacific leviathan that threatens the California coast. YA Fantasy

*Untitled – Modern prospectors discover a rich vein of silver in the unincorporated mountains of east Orange County, California. Unfortunately, they discover something else that may not let them leave. Horror

Stay well-read, my friends,  and remember to always Expect the Unexpected!

~JM Ames

Updates on stories coming soon, and more!

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Hello folks, just wanted to give you an update on several short stories coming your way soon!

‘Waves‘ has been accepted into the anthology Charmed Writers Present Flash Fiction 2018, due out later this year.

‘Thankful‘ has been sent out to a couple publishers, and I am waiting to hear back on it.

‘The Californian‘ is in the hands of one of my editors. Once I get it back, I will work with him on the corrections until we are both satisfied, then it will go out to publishers.

‘Not Yet Dark‘ is out to Alpha readers currently. Once I get input from them, I will make another round of revisions, then send to the Beta Reader team, make another round of revisions based on their feedback, then it goes out to another editor – hopefully while it is still August.

I had fully intended on going back to the unnamed superhero story I am working on with my daughters after those, but I have an opportunity to enter a writing competition in which the winner not only gets published, but also gets a scholarship that can be given to whomever they wish – which would be for my daughters. So I am focusing on that next.

 

In addition to those updates, I thought I would ask you what else you would like to see on this blog besides updates. Author interviews? Memes? Articles on writing? More personal talk? All of the above? None of it?

Let me know in the comments below, or use this form. 🙂

 

~JM Ames
Expect the Unexpected

Updates!

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Folks – Lots of overdue changes on the website, but I have already begun updating it. Here are the things you can expect in the near future:

  • Both A Contract of Words and Beach Reads: Lost and Found have launched and are available now. Their pages will be set up shortly, but until then if you would like a signed copy, just email me for arrangements.
  • This means the Coming Soon! page will be emptied as ‘Endless Skies’ and ‘Blind’ move to the Published Work page.
  • ‘The Californian’ will be moved from the Works in Progress page to the On the Market page, as I have finished it and submitted it to an anthology.
  • A new story called ‘The Death of Hope’ will be added to the Works in Progress page. This will tie in with my novella-in-progress Becoming.
  • I will be adding a new page called Upcoming Novels\Novellas. This will include some details on my future longer works:
    • Becoming:  A coming-of-age YA Superhero story – Co-written with my daughters
    • Fourteen Years:  A nonfiction biography. Co-written with Gregory Duncan
    • Ursa Major:  A mystery\drama that spans half a century.
    • Destiny Reborn:  A five-novel adventure series.
  • New Shipping Options – Continental USA Media Mail will remain at $5. I am adding Priority Mail as an option for $9. International orders are $37 (that is my cost). Prices are based on a single book, for a quote on multiple books please email me.
  •  I now accept Venmo as payment. This is not available via the website yet, but again it is via email. I am exploring other options as well.

 

Stay well-read, my friends!

~JM Ames

 

Spring Stories (and more) Update

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Folks,

Both ‘Endless Skies’ and ‘Blind’ are scheduled for release this spring. I’ve made a promotional image for each. I also have a tidbit of news for each – neither are official though.

A Contract of Words may be open for presale in as early as a week. I will of course keep you posted.

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Beach Reads 2:  Lost and Found will likely have a public book signing in May, so if you are local to Laguna Beach, California, make sure you stop on by!

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I will be featured on a horror blog on February 13th, for ‘Only the Dead Go Free,’ which was released last year in A Haunting of Words. More details to come!

I still have some more tweaking to do on the site (An About Me page, Pages for ordering ACOW and BR2:LAF as available, adding a ‘Fun Facts’ section for each of the published stories, new logo, a page dedicated to my upcoming Destiny Reborn series, etc.).

What’s next? I submitted Thankful to a flash fiction anthology. I am currently reworking an old story idea of mine, and plan on submitting it to a themed anthology that I believe strongly in. This one pays very well, so has my top writing priority. This will be complete in March. After that, I am focusing on the biography of my best friend. I am only writing part of it, but I want to get that part done and polished, so I can assist him with his part. The third on my list is another collaborative effort with my daughters – a Junior High age story, of a group of kids in a small town who develop superpowers as puberty sets in…

Until next time, stay awesome!

~J.M. Ames

“Endless Skies” to be published!

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Hello Folks!

I am quite happy to report that my sci-fi short “Endless Skies” is slated to be published in Scout Media’s anthology A Contract of Words in Spring of 2018! This is the around the same time that my short “Blind” will the published in Third Street Writer’s anthology Beach Reads 2:  Lost and Found. Busy Spring!

The website is now mostly done – poke around and let me know what you think! There will still be a permanent new logo in the near future, and I think I will add a couple more pages – one for upcoming collaborations and another for upcoming novels.

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Lastly, I am throwing out there a friendly reminder that whiles sales are awesome, so are honest reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. Any and all support is always very much appreciated. 🙂

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Peace to you all,

J.M. Ames