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My Brain Keeps Crossing Canva and Photoshop

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I’ve been using Adobe’s Photoshop for several years now. I haven’t completely mastered everything that can be done with the program, but I know enough to create the things I need, such as flyers and catalogs, and covers for my books. Lately, I’ve been using Canva, another platform for creating, even if you don’t have stellar graphic design skills.  

The trouble is, I have Photoshop on my old laptop at home, and Canva is on the computer I use at work. Lately, my brain has been confusing the two: when I’m at home, I tend to try and do things in Photoshop I can only do in Canva, and vice versa. The same thing used to happen to me when I first learned how to use Photoshop in art school. My class used Macs, and my laptop is a Dell. So, the shortcut keys are slightly different, depending on which device you’re using. I’d be at home on my Dell, trying to understand why CTRL + another key was’t achieving any results, only to remember I wasn’t using a Mac at the moment.

Oh well.

KDP Tutorial, Anyone?

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It’s a new year: 2020. 2019 has finally died. People around me are busy making resolutions, and I generally don’t make any. My usual goal is simply to finish whatever I start. But this year, I do have one resolution, and this is it: I’m going to do more of the things that scare me; I’m going to challenge myself more. 

Working in a public library has introduced me to many new people, some of whom are interested in writing and publishing (two of my favorite things!).  During NaNoWriMo, I was fortunate to lead a workshop for creative nonfiction. I had no idea how much people enjoyed it, and it’s slowly turning into something I’m going to run all year ’round. Lately, I’ve had a few library patrons ask about publishing books through Amazon, so I’d like to integrate self-publishing information into my 2020 workshops. There’s something else I’m planning, too.

I’m going to do more of the things that scare me; I’m going to challenge myself more. 

A few years ago, an offer was made to me to teach a class on Skillshare, but I never went through with it because I was too nervous. Several people have suggested that I post videos online to promote my writing. Again, I was too nervous and never went through with it. So this year, I’m going to get over my fear, and post a few videos. I’m planning to release a series of tutorials on how to navigate Amazon’s publishing service, KDP. Am I an expert on the subject? Maybe not an expert, but after working with an overpriced self-publisher, a publisher who closed for business, and publishing 32 books with KDP, I think I have a lot of knowledge to share. 

Nicole_WEBooksMarch2017
Some of my books were published through Xlibris, others with Create Space

I’m currently nursing a cold (more like the flu), so I’ll have to wait until my voice sounds normal to make these videos. I’ll keep you posted.

PS: I’ve update the refund policy on the Online Store, to make things easier for my customers/readers 🙂

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The Year of HER: Female Characters in W.E.

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I’d like to create a harmonious balance between the use of male and female characters in my books. However, try as I might, I seem to lean towards the female characters more. Maybe it’s my inner feminist. One of my goals for 2020 is to write stories that focus more on the male characters. As a society, it seems our mission is empower women and young girls. I fear the men and young boys are being left out in the cold, and that isn’t good. The last thing I want to see, is a generation of males being made to feel like their feelings and thoughts don’t matter, because they’re not females. But, I digress…

For the Woolaston Entertainment books, this has been the year of HER.

RNRM Cover

Rock N Role Model

Amy Edwards of the Our Lady of Righteous Rage series shows off her tender, motherly side in this first companion book of Phase Two of the series. She discovers a young fan  named Stephanie (Step for short) and takes her under her wing. The two of them begin to spend time together, bonding almost as if they were mother and daughter. It’s an opportunity for readers to see Amy isn’t all punk rock and guitars; off of the stage and away from the studio, she’s a mother.

 

Lucia Vol One Cover

Lucia and the Saints

The woman who created John Rafferty and gave  The Syndicate it’s name is a force to be reckoned with. She’s the reason Valentine, Jo Fuentes, Lola Vencent, Mac Avery and Kelly McCormick each have a place in the Syndicate. Lucia carries a gun, and she knows how to use it. She has no problem standing up to anyone, be they a man or a woman. But she’s not the only strong woman in the series: the young girls she takes in, The Lady Saints are each pretty badass in their own right. They’ll pick up a gun and join Lucia in a fight if necessary.  Lucia is their role model, and they want to learn as much from her as they possibly can.

 

Project Sleep Cover

Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep

Jo already proved her worth in the Valentine series and in Jo Fuentes: The Black Queen. In Project Sleep, Jo works through her PTSD in order to discover the true origins of her dangerous skills. She could just worry about her own safety, but Jo is still a soldier, and the welfare of the other members of Project Sleep is a major concern for her.

 

Rock N Role Model and Lucia and the Saints are both available on Amazon. Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep will be available by the end of December 2019.

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NFL Playoffs

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2019 Playoff

At long last a New York team is in the Playoffs!!!!! Congrats Buffalo Bills. Though, I must admit, as a fan of the Patriots, it’s hard to see both teams under the AFC. This means only one of them can go to the Superbowl. But we’ll see what happens 🙂

Update: Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep

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JFPS

 

I’m finally coming into the home stretch on this book! So many obstacles got in the way, when I was attempting to finish it: moving, working on other projects, my job…and ultimately, myself. Yes, I tend to get in my own way. But at long last, it’s nearly complete. I’m looking forward to releasing it by the end of this week.

Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep is coming VERY soon!

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Woolaston Entertainment Presents 25

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Imagine putting together a book to celebrate the 25th anniversary of something you created. Sounds like it shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Now imagine most of your material is in storage…in another state. All I can say is, thank goodness for flash drives and Google Drive!

WE25

 

I’m not sure how I did it, but in nineteen days, I combed through my books and whatever images I have saved on my flash drive and in my Google Drive, and put a 112 page book together, containing the best 25 things about W.E. Plus, it’s in COLOR! This is a first for me. Not only is it in color, it’s my first nonfiction book, and it’s a bit larger than the paperbacks I’ve published in the past (this one is 7×9). This one put me through the ringer, but its finished and soon it will be available for purchase on Amazon, and then the Woolaston Entertainment website. 

If you’ve never read my other books, there will be a few spoilers, but I think I did a pretty good job keeping them to a minimum. There are a ton of facts about W.E.’s creation, and info about the books and characters I’ve never shared before. The book should be ready by this weekend, and I hope everyone enjoys it. 

Woolaston Entertainment Presents 25 retails for $14.49 UPDATE 12/13/19: Available now on Amazon

ISBN: 978-1-6724-7820-5

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Woolaston Entertainment’s Silver Anniversary

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This December marks Woolaston Entertainment’s 25th Anniversary! While the website has been up and running since 2009, W.E. itself has been around since 1994. To celebrate the occasion, I’m working on a brand new book: Woolaston Entertainment Presents 25: Celebrating the Best 25 Things About Woolaston Entertainment. I’m covering the best things that make W.E. what it is, from the artwork and the comics to the books and characters. I hope to have it available by mid December, and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it. 

25
I’m steadily working on “25”

Woolaston Entertainment

Goodbye, Microsoft Word

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No one likes to see a relationship come to an end. Especially a long-standing relationship. But, you know the old saying: “All good things must come to an end”. I’ve had a relationship with Microsoft Word for YEARS. I’m pretty sure it started sometime during my middle school years. We’ve been good friends. Then, something went wrong.

My nine-year-old Dell laptop was on its last leg, in terms of battery life. The battery lost the ability to hold a charge, and the laptop would only function if it was plugged in. Plus, my version of Microsoft Word, was horribly outdated. I finally broke down and purchased a new laptop: a Chromebook, by Acer. There’s just one problem: it didn’t come with Word. Apparently, this is a trend among tech manufacturers. Laptops used to come with Word, and other Microsoft programs. Now, those programs need to be purchased separately. Plus, this is a Chromebook we’re talking about, so I understood. But, even the HP and Dell laptops I looked at, didn’t have Word. My new laptop was only $149…I wasn’t about to shell out an extra $200 for Word. The $149 had already set me back.  Instead, I did two things:

  1. Got a subscription to the Word App via Google Play, so I could continue to open my Word files at home.
  2. Forced myself to become acclimated with Google Docs.

Word cost me $7.61 a month ($6.99 plus tax). Sales from my online store were taking care of that plus the cost of hosting each month, so W.E. was basically paying for it’s own services. However, once I got into Google Docs (I mean, really got into it), I decided, maybe it was time to say goodbye to Word. So, I did. The cord has been cut. 

Of course, I still download my work from Google and save it on a flash drive, but its nice to know everything is available to me online, whether I’m at home or on a computer at work. Of course, some of the margins I use for the manuscripts of the books I publish needed to be adjusted, but hey: nothing worth having is ever easy to obtain. 

Woolaston Entertainment

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale Continues!

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I had a few people email me yesterday (much obliged, btw!) about the sale on Woolaston Entertainment’s website. All W.E. books are 25% off in honor of W.E.’s 25th anniversary. While that sale was scheduled to end tonight, Cyber Monday, I’ve been asked if I can extend it. My answer: yes! Orders that were placed over the weekend will be shipped tomorrow. All other orders will be shipped by the end of the week. So, the sale will continue until Saturday, December 7. Enjoy!

Woolaston Entertainment Online Store