I’ve been debating, with myself of course, what format the Newsletter and E-Serial should take. All the research I’ve done basically states that a pure text version will be assured to reach all email readers in the form it was sent, but that leaves quite a bit to be desired. While I wouldn’t want anyone to receive an unreadable email, neither would I want the stories to be presented so… well, plainly.

I think we’ve reached a point in email technology where I personally think it would be safe to use html. Outlook or any of the web-based email systems would be able to interpet it. There’s also the option of sending a .pdf attachment or even a Word document. The only problem there is that my mailing lists don’t allow for attachments. I would have to send them all manually, through Outlook most likely.

My main concern, however, is the final product. I could use MS Publisher, but that would most certainly limit the number of people who could reliably view it. I’m leaning toward using an html format but would like to hear and any all feedback on the subject.

What do you think?

Well, chapter 12 is now completed. Eleven pages in eleven hours… I guess that’s been par for the course, as far as most chapters are concerned. That doesn’t include editing and rewrites, so I imagine the time investment will come close to doubling. This book should be near 600 hours of work when completed.

I recently went back to read books one and two of the trilogy, in an attempt to recapture my narrator voice. I was amazed and embarassed at the amount of typos and mistakes I let slip into print. Clearly, I need to spend more time editing!

One of the problems I think I run into is catching all those mistakes on screen as opposed to the glaring quality of print. Words just don’t jump out on screen like they do on paper. I may have to kill a tree or two while reworking book three.

Nine chapters to go, and my rough estimate puts the final page count around 275-300. A little more than book one, a little less than book two. Once it’s completed, I’ll go back and see if it feels too short. There doesn’t seem to be much room right now to add chapters betweeen the current storyline, but I can work something out if I need to.

Chapter 13 incoming!

The first JA Giunta Newsletter was sent out on April 19. Aside from introductions and brief commentary on writing, it includes a Sci-Fi short story that is the first of many experiments to come. While I love writing Fantasy novels, I’ve been meaning to try my hand at other genres without devoting too much time to the effort. The next Newsletter should include an attempt at Horror. Don’t worry, though. You won’t see any Romance stories from me any time soon.

There’s a link on the right hand column of the page that leads to the Newsletter Archive. It’s my intention to keep a copy of each issue there, but I can’t guarantee how soon new ones will be added. Sign up for the mailing list to be certain you receive a copy when it’s first sent out. Any comments or feedback are greatly appreciated, so feel free to contact me.