I’ve been working on my Kindle Worlds G.I. JOE books for a bit now, and I have two finished. I’d like to talk about those a bit today, show you some pictures I’m working with, and give you a general sense of what I’m working toward with this program, and why.
First, I went to the Kindle Worlds Blog today and saw that they posted about G.I. Joe. Obviously things will get moving here shortly, and it sounds like they’ll send an email to people (I hope) when the program opens for submissions. If not I’ll just keep checking everyday.
First, I went to the Kindle Worlds Blog today and saw that they posted about G.I. Joe. Obviously things will get moving here shortly, and it sounds like they’ll send an email to people (I hope) when the program opens for submissions. If not I’ll just keep checking everyday.
G.I. JOE Kindle Worlds Covers
I sincerely hope they have good images for the covers. Here’s a mock-up I had someone make for me, although now I found out from Amazon that it probably won’t be useable.
The main issue I think is that it’s not an approved image from their catalogue. It’s real unfortunate they’re not giving authors a leg-up so they can put out a good product right away. Amazon’s current policies encourage sub-par products being rushed-out, which helps neither them nor the author.
Writing G.I. JOE Books
One thing I found out right away while writing these books is that I need visual references.
You can see from that first post that I had plenty of links, but the most useful so far by far has been 3DJoes. This site has the best pictures, and I highly suggest you visit them if you’re serious about writing these stories, or just like the action figures.
I used the images on the site to come up with pictures like these:
You can see from that first post that I had plenty of links, but the most useful so far by far has been 3DJoes. This site has the best pictures, and I highly suggest you visit them if you’re serious about writing these stories, or just like the action figures.
I used the images on the site to come up with pictures like these:
JOE TEAM-13 (For My Book 2)
G.I. Joe Cold Weather Characters (Book 4)
G.I. Joe Airmen Characters (Book 5/6)
G.I. Joe Ocean Characters (Book 6/7)
Having those pictures of the characters right there in my MS Word manuscript really helps me visualize the characters, keep the names and appearances straight, and propel the action forward.
My Kindle Worlds G.I. Joe Series
My KW G.I. Joe books will be in a serious, which will stretch for 10 books. The first 2 are done, remember, and I’ve started on Books 3 and 4. You probably noticed from the pictures earlier that the characters are divided into geographic areas and such.
For Books 4, 5, 6, and 7 I’ll have just single missions, with the characters going to the jungle, desert, and ice areas. The final trilogy will end the whole series.
So what’s this series called? The Rise of Coil.
Anyone who knows about the storyline from the comics and cartoons will tell you that Coil was something that twins Tomax & Xamot were trying to get going. It rises on the ashes of Cobra, which in my world has been defeated.
And know what? That also means the Joes have had their funding cut. Yep, the whole team has to be put back together, largely due to an attack by the Dreadnoks on a naval base in Florida called AUTEC.
For Books 4, 5, 6, and 7 I’ll have just single missions, with the characters going to the jungle, desert, and ice areas. The final trilogy will end the whole series.
So what’s this series called? The Rise of Coil.
Anyone who knows about the storyline from the comics and cartoons will tell you that Coil was something that twins Tomax & Xamot were trying to get going. It rises on the ashes of Cobra, which in my world has been defeated.
And know what? That also means the Joes have had their funding cut. Yep, the whole team has to be put back together, largely due to an attack by the Dreadnoks on a naval base in Florida called AUTEC.
Here’s An Excerpt
The Dreadnoks - From My Book 1
“They’ve landed!” Torch shouted, his arm up as the Night Raven hit the runway and the tires sent up two faint clouds of burning rubber.
“We’re home free now!” Buzzer shouted.
“Yeah, just fifty yards now!” Ripper joined in.
Thrasher judged the distance, then checked his mirrors. Buzzer and Ripper were hanging on just fine.
“Grab Torch,” he said, looking over at Monkeywrench.
“What?”
“Grab Torch’s arm, now!” Thrasher yelled
Monkeywrench did so, much to the surprise of Torch, who glared back at him. It didn’t matter – Thrasher spun the wheel to the right and the Thunder Machine began to tip.
“Whoa!” everyone yelled.
“We’re home free now!” Buzzer shouted.
“Yeah, just fifty yards now!” Ripper joined in.
Thrasher judged the distance, then checked his mirrors. Buzzer and Ripper were hanging on just fine.
“Grab Torch,” he said, looking over at Monkeywrench.
“What?”
“Grab Torch’s arm, now!” Thrasher yelled
Monkeywrench did so, much to the surprise of Torch, who glared back at him. It didn’t matter – Thrasher spun the wheel to the right and the Thunder Machine began to tip.
“Whoa!” everyone yelled.
“I got ya!” Monkeywrench shouted out as he clung to Torch’s arm.
It was a good thing to. The vehicle began to tip over but Thrasher spun the wheel back at just the last second, although not early enough for Zanzibar.
“Ah!” the pirate shouted out as he flew from the fast-moving vehicle and hit the ground hard, rolling a few times before laying still.
“What was that!” Buzzer yelled out when the vehicle was under control again and they only had twenty-five yards to the runway.”
“Bump in the road,” Thrasher said.
He glanced over at Torch, who now had his arm back and was hanging on tight, and although the older biker gave him a hard look, he said nothing. It was no secret that no one had really liked Zanzibar to begin with.
“They’re slowing!” Ripper yelled.
“I’ll get us right up alongside ‘em,” Thrasher said.
He was as good as his word, getting the Thunder Machine right up next to the plane as the side cargo door opened.
“Glad to see you could make it,” Xamot called out with a large grin as the wind whipped back his hair in the airplane’s open door.
“Thanks for dropping by!” Torch said as he stood up and jumped into the door, covering the few feet between the two vehicles easily.
Buzzer and Ripper quickly scampered over the top of the Thunder Machine and then into the Night Raven, and a moment later Monkeywrench was through the front opening of the car and up into the plane as well.
“Here goes,” Thrasher said as he let go of the wheel and started out of the car.
Right away it began to drift to the left, but then thankfully it drifted back to the right.
“C’mon!” Torch shouted, his arm extended for the youngest Dreadnok.
Thrasher reached out and ran across the hood of the Thunder Machine and then jumped.
He made it, latching onto Torch’s arm to be pulled to safety.
“We’ve got to turn around and take off the other way,” Tomax called back to them from the cockpit.
“Runway’s too short,” Xamot said to them. “Get your guns and start shooting.”
He motioned over to the other side of the plane and the cargo door there, as well as the large cargo opening in the back.
“Ha, there’s none of ‘em left!” Ripper laughed as he got to the door.
“Yeah, I don’t see–”
“Hey,” Monkeywrench shouted, cutting off Buzzer, “it’s Zanzibar.”
“You left a man behind?” Xamot asked, his anger plain.
“We thought he was dead,” Torch said.
“Well he will be here real quick if he doesn’t pick up the pace,” Xamot said, pointing out the open bay door in the back.
Although Zanzibar was running as best he could – limping really – he wasn’t going to catch the plane.”
“He could make it!” Buzzer yelled.
“He’s getting closer!” Monkeywrench called out.
“Tell him to slow it down a bit will ya?” Ripper yelled to Xamot.
Xamot looked up at his brother, just then starting to pull up on the controls.
“He’ll never make it,” he shouted, “it’s too–”
Dreadnoks Rising: The Rise of Coil, Vol. I – Coming Soon!
It was a good thing to. The vehicle began to tip over but Thrasher spun the wheel back at just the last second, although not early enough for Zanzibar.
“Ah!” the pirate shouted out as he flew from the fast-moving vehicle and hit the ground hard, rolling a few times before laying still.
“What was that!” Buzzer yelled out when the vehicle was under control again and they only had twenty-five yards to the runway.”
“Bump in the road,” Thrasher said.
He glanced over at Torch, who now had his arm back and was hanging on tight, and although the older biker gave him a hard look, he said nothing. It was no secret that no one had really liked Zanzibar to begin with.
“They’re slowing!” Ripper yelled.
“I’ll get us right up alongside ‘em,” Thrasher said.
He was as good as his word, getting the Thunder Machine right up next to the plane as the side cargo door opened.
“Glad to see you could make it,” Xamot called out with a large grin as the wind whipped back his hair in the airplane’s open door.
“Thanks for dropping by!” Torch said as he stood up and jumped into the door, covering the few feet between the two vehicles easily.
Buzzer and Ripper quickly scampered over the top of the Thunder Machine and then into the Night Raven, and a moment later Monkeywrench was through the front opening of the car and up into the plane as well.
“Here goes,” Thrasher said as he let go of the wheel and started out of the car.
Right away it began to drift to the left, but then thankfully it drifted back to the right.
“C’mon!” Torch shouted, his arm extended for the youngest Dreadnok.
Thrasher reached out and ran across the hood of the Thunder Machine and then jumped.
He made it, latching onto Torch’s arm to be pulled to safety.
“We’ve got to turn around and take off the other way,” Tomax called back to them from the cockpit.
“Runway’s too short,” Xamot said to them. “Get your guns and start shooting.”
He motioned over to the other side of the plane and the cargo door there, as well as the large cargo opening in the back.
“Ha, there’s none of ‘em left!” Ripper laughed as he got to the door.
“Yeah, I don’t see–”
“Hey,” Monkeywrench shouted, cutting off Buzzer, “it’s Zanzibar.”
“You left a man behind?” Xamot asked, his anger plain.
“We thought he was dead,” Torch said.
“Well he will be here real quick if he doesn’t pick up the pace,” Xamot said, pointing out the open bay door in the back.
Although Zanzibar was running as best he could – limping really – he wasn’t going to catch the plane.”
“He could make it!” Buzzer yelled.
“He’s getting closer!” Monkeywrench called out.
“Tell him to slow it down a bit will ya?” Ripper yelled to Xamot.
Xamot looked up at his brother, just then starting to pull up on the controls.
“He’ll never make it,” he shouted, “it’s too–”
Dreadnoks Rising: The Rise of Coil, Vol. I – Coming Soon!
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