I finished and self-published my first novel!!!

Hello ATS!

My name is James C. Gammage.

It has been a looooooooong time since I was last active on ATS and for that, I'm sorry.

The reason I chose to pop back in (aside from a bit of shameless self-promotion), is to point out something.

This forum (specifically the Collaborative Writing Forum/Short Story Forum) is/are responsible for a lot of the writing development that I undertook back in 2009. I penned the part of the Captain of the USS Penelope in the monstrous Space Opera thread and made some pretty good friends and acquaintances while doing so. I still look back on those days fondly and as most of you, I was terribly saddened to hear of the loss of Masqua.

Working with a group of you on the Space Opera was a very fulfilling and educational experience and it is something I will forever cherish as part of my growth and education as a writer.

Anyway.

I would like to present to you all Retrieval, the first book in the Universal Alliance Chronicles.

This is the blurb:

Jake Webster is having memory problems. Memory problems that transcend the simple absent-minded lost keys or forgetting names or birthdays. More than that. His parents. His childhood. His existence prior to 1994. These and more have all vanished. What’s more is his best friend in the entire world, Chad Wells, is missing and no one seems to know what happened to the eccentric inventor. With the help of his ex-girlfriend, Allison Deming, he begins a journey to discover his past and find his friend.

As his quest for answers surpasses anything Jake could have ever imagined, events steadily grow wilder and wilder, sending him beyond even Earth looking for answers.

Will Jake recover his lost memories?

Will he find his friend?

Answers to these questions and more await Jake in this tale of a lost past, a thrilling revelation, and a future that he will not be able to ignore.

Anyway, I've been working on the series this first book heralds since 1997 and only recently managed to complete and get the first book out for public consumption. I am currently hard at work writing my way through the first draft of the next book, Reunions, which I expect to have out in approximately six months.

Thank you for your time and if you do happen to snag a copy, free, paid, or whatever - please leave me a review on Amazon to let me know what you think. I'll also monitor this thread for a while (assuming this post isn't prohibited or something.)

Cheers!

Amazon Link Below

Retrie val

Wow. I'm a participant from the last episodes of the "Space Opera." It was after your time, obviously.

masqua was the one who gave me Writer status so I could contribute.

Thanks for this. I also have a novel completed and being reviewed by an editor.......soon to be published one way or another.

Please direct all comments to this thread here www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thread closed.



NOTE:
Other thread was removed.
This thread is reopened.

a reply to: DrumsRfun

what just happened ??

a reply to: mf_luder
Congratulations!

It is easy to have an idea an expand upon it in your own mind.

Putting pen to paper or fingers to keys is an entirely different beast. So I applaud you!

The creative forums here are a much underrated source of inspiration and drive for many an artist. Masqua bestowed my writers status upon me and I also as you wear it as a badge of honor.

Good luck with your sales and thank you for acknowledging your roots.

Respectfully,
~meathead

Double removed

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Congrats on your soon-to-be published work!

It's a long road fraught with peril and trials, but I'll tell you - the part of that journey that involved dealing with Masqua was probably one of the best parts of the trip so far.

And I extend a warm hello to a fellow Space Opera contributor!

Good luck on your writing journey!

a reply to: Mike Stivic

Thank you very much.

I look back on those days fondly and still pop over to the Space Opera now and then to read through it again.

It was a hell of a lot of fun.

Congrats! I do envy you in what you've done and hope your work does well!

I always have ideas, but fall flat at putting them down properly.

Cheers to many further successes in your future writing.

Congratulations on your achievement! As a SF buff, I may give it a read.

Congratulations. I hope it goes over well. I tried saying this in the other thread but did not have permission to post there.

a reply to: Subrosabelow

Thank you very much.

It took me from 1997-2017 to get everything down for the backstory and I have a graveyard of about 50-100 half-finished attempts at how to start this story off.

The only thing I can say is to "just do it man."

a reply to: Lab4Us

Awesome! Leave me a review on Amazon and let me know what you think!

a reply to: rickymouse

Thank you!

Congratulations!
May I ask who you used to self publish please?
I used Create Space (a 'subsidiary' of Amazon) and they are not playing fair with royalties
I have found books have been bought and have never been added to my monthly sales, so seriously considering only making the books available through myself and mailing out now.

Thank you
Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: angelchemuel

Thank you!

I'm also going through CreateSpace right now - I used them for the paperback and went through Kindle Direct for the ebook.

I haven't sold many copies - roughly 12 physical and about 15 or so ebook - and the royalties seem to be okay on my end. It sucks that you're getting screwed, if that's the case.

One bit of advice that I know of regarding publishing is that money should flow 'to' the writer, not 'away from' the writer regarding publishing.

I wonder if there's someone you can contact regarding the discrepancies?

Good luck!

a reply to: mf_luder

It would appear I am not the only one. I am going through the same process of supplying them with the numbers that are on the inside back covers of the book. I've decided to just make the book available through myself at the moment via my website and social media. At least I can keep some check on it that way.

See this article.....
Creat e Space
Rainbows
Jane