Author: Nicole E Woolaston

I'm a writer, artist and guitarist from NY. I love punk rock, anime and manga. I'm the author of the "Fortune's Wing" and "Valentine" series, & "Our Lady of Righteous Rage".Green Day and Jack White are my inspiration. Check out my blog and feel free to ask me questions about my books!

The Origins of the Woolaston Entertainment Books

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Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your day is going well. Since it is Monday, its time for a new blog post. This week: the origins of the W.E. books. In keeping with this month’s nostalgic theme, I’ve been thinking back to how I started writing my books, years and years ago.

I wrote a lot of books for myself when I was a kid. In first grade, I’d staple several sheets of typing paper between to pages of construction paper, I create my own picture books. By the time I was in sixth grade, I began to develop stories with chapters, characters and plots. A few years later, I started collecting journals and unlined sketch books, and wrote my manuscripts in them. I created front covers for each books, spine labels, and summaries on the back covers. I didn’t have a computer at home, so hand-writing all of my books became a natural step. I wrote all of the time anyway, so I had no trouble working on two to four books at a time. To this day, I have 125 hand-written books. This may sound strange, but doing that, is what led me to publish a real book.

So, Valentine started out as a book I hand wrote inside of a journal. Fortune’s Wing and Our Lady of Righteous Rage were written in composition notebooks. When you don’t have access to certain materials, you learn to make do. I didn’t receive a computer in my house until the middle of my senior year in high school. I didn’t have access to programs such as Adobe Photoshop until several years after that.

Questions? Comments? You know how to reach me!

#TBT: Before They Were Rockstars

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I like to think of some of my characters as actors and actresses: I used to move them around, from series to series, casting them in different roles. Most of the cast of Our Lady of Righteous Rage, appeared in two of my science fiction series: “Enos” and “Degenerate R”. Both series featured characters who could transform and use special powers to fight evil. I recently came across a poster I drew sixteen years ago, for the “Enos” series. Featured on the poster, are Nyda Summit, Amy Edwards, Vanessa Vance, Carmen Portez, Yvonne Vance and Delfino “Dee” Seybrook. All six appear in the Our Lady of Righteous Rage series. EnosCivilianPoster

#TBT: Anatomy of a Song

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Hello, everyone! Since its Throwback Thursday, I decided to upload one of my old blog posts. This one is about Our Lady of Righteous Rage. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 12, 2014: Anatomy of a Song w/ Our Lady of Righteous Rage

One of the most important elements of Our Lady is music, and by music, I mean the lyrics to the band’s songs.  The first full set of lyrics to appear in the book, are the lyrics to “Wish You Well”.  It’s the song Amy writes in reference to her father.  In reality, it’s a song I wrote for my father.  The line, “I wish you well”, sounds like she’s wishing her father luck.  The truth is, she’s being sarcastic.  She doesn’t wish him well at all.  More or less, what she’s trying to say is, “Hey, you were never around when I needed you, but I’ll move on, so forget you”.  The lyrics, “This would be so easy/ If you were just deceased”, doesn’t mean she wishes her father was dead.  What Amy is referring to, is if her father was dead, at least that would be an excuse for him not spending time with her.  The fact that he is alive and well and just doesn’t see her, makes the situation harder to deal with.  Another important song in the book (and my personal favorite) is “Come for the Wake, Stay for the Funeral”.  Amy writes this song after her mother’s aunt’s funeral.  Disgusted by the way her family is acting during the wake and at the burial site, Amy begins to view the service as a sort of “Spectator Sport”.  The opening lyrics to the song, “All you spectators please gather ‘round/The dearly beloved is barely in the ground” relates to the conversations Amy overhears during the service: people simply wondering if the aunt left them anything in her will.  No one seems to care that she is no longer living.  In reality, I wrote this song in 2009, after my mother’s Aunt Dorothy passed away.  Same situation: people just wanted to know who would get her house or her money.  Next, is Nick’s song, “Smoke and Glass”.  The complete lyrics do not appear in the book, however, the song is a tribute to September 11th.

 

The lyrics that the characters write in the story run parallel with the events in their lives. But, this is what most songwriters do: use the events in their lives as inspiration for their music.  I suppose this is true for writers of any sort.  Charles Dickens is a good example.  Some of his best work involves young men born into unfortunate circumstances, and later, their lives turn around for the better.  I wrote the lyrics for all of Our Lady’s songs, and bits and pieces of my life can be found in the lyrics.

The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck

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Good advice.

Unknown's avatartonysbologna : Honest. Satirical. Observations

A practical man only lives by one principal, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”  For those of you  that know me, you would know that Mark Manson is one of my favorite writers and he wrote an article that all of you need to read.  I can’t top this – so I’m not going to – you know that whole bit about “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” that I opened this up with – YEAH. Any who, without further adieu, enjoy learning how the subtle art of not giving a fuck.

“In my life, I have given a fuck about many people and many things. I have also not given a fuck about many people and many things. And those fucks I have not given have made all the difference.

People often say the key to confidence and success in life is to simply “not…

View original post 2,298 more words

Author Interviews!

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Readers like to know more about the person behind their favorite books. I’d love to interview John Steinbeck, but sadly, I don’t have a time machine (not a functioning one, anyway). Making yourself available for interviews as an author is a great way to reach out to your readers. To me, it makes you seem more human, which makes you more relatable. I have been interviewed three times as an author, and two of those interviews are available online.

Self Publisher’s Showcase:

If you’re a self-published author, this website is a great resource. You can post information about yourself and your book(s). If you sign up for a membership, there is a small fee ($30 for one year, I believe) which will give you more access to the resources on the site. Readers can discover new books and new authors, and SPS will post an interview with you.

http://selfpublishersshowcase.com/

 

If you want to read my interview, here is the link: http://selfpublishersshowcase.com/interview-nicole-e-woolaston-author-of-our-lady-of-righteous-rage/

 

Ebunnygirl’s WordPress Page:

One of my readers posted an interview with me on her wordpress page! This is another fantastic idea. If you have a website (and you should) you may want to post an announcement that you’re available for interviews. Invite anyone with a blog to email questions to you (unless you want to meet in person, totally up to you), and post the conversation online. It’s a great way to engage your audience.

Here is the link to ebunnygirl’s interview with me. You should check out the rest of her page as well:

https://ebunnygirl.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/interview-with-nicole-woolaston/

 

 

 

Titles and Subtitles

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Greetings, everyone. I’m reposting my Monday Blog here.

This week’s topic: the importance of titles, and subtitles. Titles are meant to grab your reader’s attention, as well as give them some idea as to what the book is about. Then there are subtitles, particularly important if the book is part of a series. I believe they need to be equally as interesting as the title itself.

 

In the Valentine series, each book (except for the first) has a subtitle.  There’s The Patron Saint and Queen of Hearts. Book two’s subtitle refers to the nickname Val has been given, but is unaware of until later in the story (she’s referred to as the Patron Saint of the Weak).  Book three’s subtitle relates to Kelly McCormick’s codename for Val, the Queen of Hearts.  The current title for book four is War of the Saints, which will introduce some new characters whose roles are similar to Valentine’s. I am reconsidering the title, so it may change.

 

The subtitles in the Fortune’s Wing series are references to each journey he undertakes in the quest for the Wings. Second Flight, concerns the second journey he and his friends go on after Fortune completes the set of wings. The third and final installment, Final Flight, is a reference to exactly that: his final journey.

 

With Our Lady of Righteous Rage, I wanted a title that would stand out. OLORR has a punk, but almost Catholic High School sound to it, and I figured it would definitely grab people’s attention (and it has!).

FYI: an unusual tip I have picked up on as a reader, is if the title of the book is mentioned somewhere in the story, but not until close to the climax. It seems to add impact to the meaning of the title. Or, maybe that’s just me…

 

Naming your chapters can be tricky, but interesting. The titles of the chapters in OLORR are named after the character who narrates that particular chapter (pretty simple, yes?) The chapter titles in Allan and Mac are meant to be humorous: What’s in the Trunk?, A Good Pair of Pliers and Three’s A Crowd, to name a few.  The chapter titles in Valentine are a mixed bag: some of them are humorous, some of them are serious.  For example, “I’d Rather Ride Solo” or “Road Trip” is humorous, while “End Game” or “This Is What I Came For” is a little more serious.

 

The trouble with naming the chapter in a book that is part of a series, is consistency. If you decide to do this in the first book, you must do it in the other books as well. All of the Fortune’s Wing and Valentine books have chapters with titles, while the OLORR chapters are named after characters in the story. Because I have done this in the first two OLORR books, I need to keep it up as I write the third.

 

Coming up with a clever, catchy title isn’t always easy. If you’re having trouble coming up with a title for your book, or the chapters, think about what the book is really about. Consider what that particular chapter is about. Make a list of words or slogans that describe what is happening in the book or chapter itself. In Allan and Mac, the chapter, A Good Pair of Pliers is named after a line from the chapter.

 

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com/

B-Fest Results

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Saturday was my very first book signing. The event took place at the Barnes and Noble at Bay Plaza in the Bronx. The store was kind enough to take a chance on a self-published author, and ordered 30 of my books. By the time my portion of the event was complete, 24 out of the 30 books were sold! Anyone who purchased a copy of Valentine, received a copy of Valentine 2 from me for free! It was so much fun meeting new people and making new connections, and I especially enjoyed meeting young writers. I’m looking forward to helping them get started in the self-publishing industry any way I can. Thank you again to everyone who came out to the Bronx, purchased a book, stopped by my table, or simply liked my posts online. There aren’t enough words to express what your support means to me.

Pictures from B-Fest will be posted on the Woolaston Entertainment Facebook page later today. I’m happy to announce, I have been invited to return to Bay Plaza for an upcoming event! Autographed copies of Valentine, Our Lady of Righteous Rage, and Our Lady of Righteous Rage: Extended and Uncensored are still available at Bay Plaza, or you can order unsigned copies online or through the store. Plus, you can always order copies of any of my books directly from me.

 

 

The Indie Author Who Could

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Being an indie author can be challenging sometimes. For anyone out there who is a self-published author, you know what I’m talking about. Choosing the right company to print your books for you. Finding a reliable (and affordable editor) or editing yourself. Cover designs and page layouts. And lets not forget marketing. It’s tough! And even after you have your finished product in your hands, there’s the really fun part: getting your book into a bookstore. Bookstores look at self-published books as if they contain the plague! But, you have to try anyway.  After one thousand no’s, you’re bound to hit a yes. I certainly did.

 

Barnes and Noble is having a Teen Book Festival known as BFest this weekend, and I am fortunate enough to participate. I will be appearing at the location in Bay Plaza in Bronx, NY on Saturday, June 11 at 3pm. I will be reading from “Our Lady of Righteous Rage”, and signing copies afterward. I will also sign copies of “Valentine”.  So, why is this event such a big deal? Simple: I’m an indie author, and BN doesn’t sell books by indie authors in their stores. To get in, you have to work very hard. So, this event is special to me. Will it go well? I certainly hope so. Whether I sell 3 copies or 30 copies, I’m happy I was accepted into a major bookstore.

To anyone out there struggling to get their work noticed by the public, I’m proof that you can’t give up. Giving up is simply not an option. Keep trying. Eventually, you will succeed. Good luck to all of my fellow writers and artists out there.