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Your Best Writing Year; Goodreads.com; Valentine 3

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Hello, everyone! Happy New Year. This is the first Monday Blog for 2016. I decided to start the New Year off on a positive note, so I’m going to offer some advice to my fellow writers. Plus, I’d like to invite all of you to Goodreads.com if you haven’t already signed up, and I’d like to talk a little about Valentine 3.

 

Your Best Writing Year

Whenever New Year’s Day rolls around, people make resolutions. We set goals for ourselves: lose weight, quit smoking, etc. I’m usually not big on resolutions. I just take each day, and do the best I can with it. This year, however, I am going to set a few goals for myself. My mother is about to publish her very first book, and she has asked me for tips and advice. So, I decided to share some of my ideas with my fellow writers. I’m not an expert, but I want to share the things that I have found to be useful over the years. Hopefully, you’ll find at least one of my tips useful, and you will be able to make 2016 your best writing year.

Don’t just be a writer, be a reader. Reading is what inspired me to become a writer in the first place. I have a set of authors I like, for different reasons. For example, I always liked James Howe’s use of dialogue, and his descriptiveness. If there is a particular genre you want to write about, it helps to read other books in that genre. This can help you learn what works and why, and it may also help you find your own writing voice.

Only write when you feel like writing. I don’t tell myself “I will write at least 5 pages a day.” I may be in the mood to write on Monday, but on Tuesday I may not be feeling it. So, if I force myself to write when I’m not in the mood, my writing will most likely SUCK. I won’t be at my best. If you’re sincerely not in the mood to write, don’t. Step away from your computer or notepad, or whatever you’re using.

If you can see it, you can write it. I’m a very visual person. One of my methods, is to see the story in my mind, and then write it. Every chapter of Valentine or Fortune’s Wing is like the episode of a TV series. I watch it in my head, and simply write what I’m seeing. Try to visualize a scene before you write it. You may even want to grab a sheet of paper and draw the scene. For instance, you could draw the layout of one of your character’s bedrooms, to use as a guide when describing it in your writing.

Don’t be afraid of synonyms. There are certain words we overuse, and we really don’t have to. One way to avoid this problem, is by using a Thesaurus. It can be a writer’s best friend. There’s more than one way to say a character is “happy”. They can be “glad”, or “cheerful”, or “overjoyed”.

Try writing from a different point of view. If all of your writing is done in first person, give third person a try. If all of your writing is in third person, try writing in first person.

Write about what you know. I love football, but I don’t know enough about it to write a football story. I also love mysteries, but I’m not good at writing them. What I do know, is punk rock, so I wrote Our Lady of Righteous Rage. I know about family drama, so I was able to write new arcs of the Valentine series. Write about a subject you are familiar with. If you don’t know very much about politics, then writing a political drama may not be a good idea.   If you’re into horror, and you’ve read a lot of horror and seen a lot of horror movies, writing horror might be your thing.

I hope you found these tips useful.

 

 

Goodreads.com

 

If you haven’t already joined Goodreads.com, I urge you to join! It’s free, and you can sign in with your Facebook account. It’s a great website for sharing books you’ve read, discovering new books, and writing reviews. If you’re a writer, you can create an author page and reach a wider audience. Plus, there’s my favorite feature: giveaways. Giveaways are a wonderful way to put your book in the hands of readers, and receive reviews.

 

Valentine 3

 

Valentine 3: Queen of Hearts, the third installment in the series, is currently available on Amazon.com, and through woolastonenterainment.com. One thing that’s very special about this book, is it is the first published WE book to introduce an LGBT character. Plus, it provides some background information about the Entienne family, and Lola Vencent, which may explain why they are the way they are.

 

Until next week, everyone.

New Characters in Valentine 3

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Hello, everyone.  While I am working on 3 manuscripts at once, most of my attention has been focused on Valentine 3: Queen of Hearts.  One of the major themes of this arc of the story is family, and I will be introducing several new characters. Also, you’re going to learn more about The Syndicate: the  “secret” organization of criminals, crime bosses, hitmen, and the like.

Kelly McCormick: one of the few “female gangsters” in the world of Valentine. Kelly’s position is a cross between Rafferty’s and Lola’s. She sets up the hit for various members of the Syndicate, and she even carries out a few of tem herself.

Jo Fuentes: I won’t reveal too much about her here.  I’ll only say, she’s a co-worker of Val’s, at the auto repair shop she lands a job at. Jo is a bit of  a Goth, so she and Val hit it off right away.

Michael Aldus: Keep your eye on this guy. He’s a liaison for the Syndicate.  he’s the one everyone turns to, when they have a job that needs to be done, and they want to hire outside help.

Lorenzo: Another guy to watch out for.  He enters Val’s life very suddenly, and you won’t be able to tell if he’s friend or foe.

I’ll keep you posted….

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

 

 

 

Erin of Novocaine, and other W.E. Leading Ladies

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Greetings, everyone. Here’s the  Monday Blog from woolastonentertainment.com.  This week’s blog will be brief.  I’m focusing on the leading ladies of the W.E. books.

If you’ve read the W.E. books, then you may have noticed most of my lead characters are female.  The Fortune’s Wing series is the only exception, but even Haverdy Oyama deserves a little more credit.

Erin Michaels of Novocaine

She starts out as something of an indifferent teenager, and as the story develops, becomes a semi-mature adult.  Not to ruin your enjoyment of Novocaine with spoilers, but the event s that unfold in Erin’s life shape her into a wise, and more responsible person.  Also, the people she encounters, mainly her boyfriend Gerard and rick star Amy Edwards. I didn’t want Erin to be the average, “angry at the world so I’ll hurt myself” teenager.  That’s a bit clichéd. Instead, she’s smart, well-read, and openly sarcastic.

Amy Edwards of Our Lady of Righteous Rage

You meet her as a 12-year-old in the beginning, and then you get to watch her grow into an adult.  Much like Erin, Amy uses music to help her find her place in the world.  This is especially important since she becomes part of the music industry. I wanted her to be an example of “girl power”, without making the story too sugary sweet and fluffy.  Ultimately, she gets a happy ending, but there are speed bumps along the way.  If you learn anything from her, its that women can do anything, be anything, and you should always be true to yourself.

Val Entienne of Valentine

What’s better than a young badass with a pair of guns, doing her best to protect her family? Val is the embodiment of girl power: she’s strong willed, fearless, and will do anything to defend the ones she loves.  She’s not the kind of girl who sits around waiting to be rescued…she’ll rescue herself if need be.

These aren’t the women who sit around feeling sorry for themselves, when things don’t go their way.  They won’t lose their minds when a relationship ends, or hope that a problem will simply resolve itself.  I like to base my female characters on the strong women I have known, the primary one being my mother, who raised me single handedly.  I wanted to present female characters who don’t back down, or run and hide when things turn ugly.  These are the women who hold their heads up, go forward, and keep pushing.

Until next week…

Mother’s Day

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Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there.  I’m currently reading “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck.  I came across this passage in Chapter 8, and I wanted to share it in honor if Mother’s Day.  It’s a description of Mrs. Joad, the family matriarch.

 

“She looked out into the sunshine. Her face was full, not soft; it was controlled, kindly. Her hazel eyes seemed to have experienced all possible tragedy and to have mounted pain and suffering like steps into a high calm and a superhuman understanding. She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since old Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt or fear, she had practiced denying them in herself. And since, when a joyful thing happened, they looked to see whether joy was on her, it was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials. But better than joy was calm. Imperturbability could be depended upon. And from her great humble position in the family she had taken dignity and a clean calm beauty. From her position as healer, her hands had grown sure and cool and quiet; from her position as arbiter she had become as remote and faultless in judgment as a goddess. She seemed to know that if she swayed the family shook, and if she ever really deeply wavered or despaired the family would fall, the family will to function would be gone.”

 

Character Month at Woolaston Entertainment

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CatCover

Welcome to the first Monday Blog for the month of May. Here at Woolaston Entertainment, May is Character Month. I’m celebrating the characters that make up the world of Woolaston Entertainment. Of course, there are all sorts. To make things easier, I will abbreviate the titles of my books and series as follows:

Fortune’s Wing series: FW

Valentine series: VAL

Our Lady of Righteous Rage: OLORR

Allan & Mac: AAM

 

Leading Ladies and Main Men: Every story has to have a protagonist. They’re the person you’re following throughout the story. Sometimes they’re telling the story, and sometimes you simply experience the events as they unfold around them.

FW: Fortune Oyama is our hero. He carries the burden of protecting the Wings and deciding the fate of the world. He’s only eighteen, but being charged with such an enormous responsibility has helped him mature.

VAL: It’s Val Entienne, of course! The gun-toting nineteen-year-old is fearless and will do anything to protect her family.

OLORR: Even though each character takes a turn in telling the story, Amy Edwards is considered the leading lady. She narrates the majority of the story, and most of the events are centered around her.

AAM: There are fewer characters here, but between Allan and Mac, Allan is the main character.

 

Villains, Bad Guys, and Just Plain Jerks: These guys are also known as the “antagonists”. If our hero has a goal, these are the characters who are out to ruin their plans. The “bad guy” doesn’t necessarily have to be evil (like tying someone to a railroad track or suspending them over a shark tank). Sometimes, their villainy is subtle.

FW: There are six remaining members of the Winged Seven, but it’s their leader Demetri who should be considered the primary villain. Demetri has his own plans for the Wings, and if he has to kill Fortune to get them, he will.

VAL: Crime boss John Rafferty is the man everyone’s afraid of. If you get in his way, he’ll have you killed. In the first Valentine book, he orders Jacob to make sure Val doesn’t make it to California, even if “she has to disappear”.

OLORR: If I must choose a “villain” here, it’s David. He’s not as supportive of Amy as she would like him to be. He even attempts to prevent the success of Amy and Nick’s potential band, by not participating.

The Best Friend: Whether it’s a cousin, sister, or sidekick, this is the character who provides support for the main character, and always has their back.

FW: Fortune has Ringo, Tony and Narumi for friends, but the truth is, his sister Haverdy is his best friend. She’ll follow him to the end of the world and back again. She has no trouble picking up a sword and coming to his defense.

VAL: Veronica is Val’s cousin and her best friend, too. She does her best to keep Val out of trouble, and she’s always available to provide emotional support.

OLORR: Delfino “Dee” Seybrook is Amy’s best friend. Their shared love of writing and poetry bring them together , and Dee has defiantly got Amy’s back, and she’s got hers.

AAM: Allan and Mac aren’t just brother and sister; they’re best friends as well. They hand out together, and on occasion, carry out hits together.

 

The Neutral Party: This is a character who can be a little hard to read. Is he a good guy? Bad guy? Maybe he’s both.

VAL: Vincent’s partner Jacob seems to be a neutral party. He’s ordered to prevent Val from reaching California, but he doesn’t put very much effort into stopping her.

The Advisor: They serve as a guide, usually for the main character. They offer advice and little nuggets of wisdom, usually based upon their own experiences.

FW: There are two here. First, is Adam, the little old man who arrives to inform Fortune of his destiny.  He doesn’t go on his journey with him, but he helps him get started. There’s also Verdonna Onnashari, the Oracle of Light. She uses her visions to provide Fortune with much needed guidance.

VAL: Once Val and Lola Vencent set aside their differences, Lola becomes a sort of teacher to Val. She even takes Val along on some of her “jobs”.

OLORR: Nic teaches Amy to play the guitar and encourages her to believe in herself.

 

The Big Brother or Sister: Sometimes they’re related to the person they’re looking out for, and sometimes they’re not. Either way, don’t mess with the person they care about; you’ll regret it.

FW: Fortune is definitely a big brother to his little sister Haverdy. Whenever their parents give Haverdy a hard time, Fortune always stands up for her.

VAL: Val and Melinda may not be related, but Val becomes a big sister to Melinda and is very protective of her.

OLORR: Amy has two older brothers and an older sister, but it’s good friend Aidan Sirci who is her real “big brother”. Aidan isn’t about to let anyone give his kid sister a hard time, not even the boy who teases her at school.

AAM: Even though Mac is armed and dangerous, big brother Allan still wants to protect her and keep her safe.

The Court Jester: They’re air-headed, and a bit clumsy, but they mean well. They can be immature, and perhaps cowardly, but they generally come through in the end.

FW: Fortune’s girlfriend Esrieve can be dizzy and afraid, but she still accompanied Fortune on his quest.

VAL: Melinda is fourteen and doesn’t yet realize what a scary place the world can be. But she still wants to do everything she can to help Val.

AAM: Allan’s friend Rudy wants to be just like him, but he just can’t get it right. Whenever he gets himself into a jam, he calls Allan to get him out.

The Leader with the Plan: Every group has a leader: the person who steps up and takes charge, and steers the ship.

FW: Fortune is the leader of his motley crue. He uses the power of his Wing Pendant to decide which direction the group should go. Whenever they’re under attack, he thinks quickly and comes up with a strategy to keep them safe.

VAL: Among Val, Veronica, Melinda and Victoria, Val’s the leader. She’s the one her family looks to for safety.

OLORR: Vanessa Vance comes up with the idea for the Urban Collective: the business she and her friends will own and operate. She takes all of the necessary steps to get things started, and even keeps track of all of the finances.

People on the Side: Lots of other characters appear in all of these stories. Some of them are only present for a chapter or two. Their purpose is to help keep the story moving. Think of them as extras in a movie.

FW: The members of the Winged Seven (aside from Demetri) and the Onnashari Clan. The Winged Seven provides Fortune with the needed opposition in the story. The story would be boring if he was able to simply go to the End of the Earth and save the world without facing any challenges along to way. And the Onnashari Clan enters the story to give us backgorund information about the Prophecy of the Wings

VAL: The people who Val encounters and helps on her way to California. The women at Allen House, and the mechanics at the repair shop, just to name a few.

OLORR: Mostly the owners of the places where the bands play their gigs, and people who are interested in working with them.

AAM: Allan and Mac’s clients, who hire them because someone needs to be disposed of.

Of course, these are just a fraction of the characters I have created for W.E. over the years. As I continue to write and publish, I’ll introduce you to more of them.

Please don’t forget about the Brooklyn Expo at the end of the month! Information is available here: https://bkexpocreativeshow.eventbrite.com

Character Month

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So…..for the past few months, I have hosted a different theme on woolastonentertainment.com. February was dedicated to “Valentine”. March was for “Our Lady of Righteous Rage”.  April was all about “Fortune’s Wing”.  May is upon us, which means its time for a new theme. This month, is Character Month.  May will be devoted to all of the different personalities that exist on my writing.  Of course, I can’t talk about my characters without acknowledging my FIRST W.E. character: a black cat named Vanessa Vance.  Vanessa is the cornerstone of WE, and her creation marked the beginning of the W.E. you see today.  So, here’s to Vanessa, and all of the characters in the W.E. universe!

VV20thAn

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com/

Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing: Quick Advice

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So, you’ve decided to write a book. Bravo for you! I am a HUGE advocate of reading and writing. Which step are you on in your current writing endeavor? Still fleshing out a manuscript? Editing? Editing again? No matter which step you’re on, eventually you will have a completed manuscript, ready to be published. The question becomes: self-publish or seek a traditional publisher?

“Professional Writers” look down upon self-published authors, as though they belonged in a leper colony. Why? Is a book that was published by a traditional publisher better than a self-published book? Certainly not. Traditional publishers and Literary Agents turn down golden nuggets all the time. Then there’s the process. Submitting hundreds of query letters to agents, and waiting and waiting for a response. If you’re lucky, someone says “yes”. Then, there’s the loss of control. Someone else will have creative control of your book, and they will most likely make changes; some you probably won’t agree with. And royalties: you may get a lot, you may get a little (20% on average). Could be paid out monthly…most likely quarterly. Things are looking bleak…

My suggestion: self-publish. You maintain creative control: the cover, the artwork, the whole nine. Higher royalties (starting at 35% if you use Amazon’s Create Space). Your work will be just that: your work. Will you have to work harder to promote your book on your own? Perhaps, but at least you’re in charge. There are plenty of free services to help you get the word out: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads.com, Amazon’s Author Central, just to name a few. I was waiting for a traditional publisher I began working with last year to finally get the ball rolling, but waiting is costing me time, and time is money. So, I’m sticking with self-publishing. It’s something to think about.

One more little tidbit to encourage you: Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, and many other classic authors were self-published.

Brooklyn Expo!!!

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Calling all artists, writers, poets, musicians & lovers of all things creative!!!! The Brooklyn Expo is coming!!!!! The Brooklyn Expo Creative Show is on May 30, from 6pm to 11pm!  Tickets are on sale now! Visit this link: https://bkexpocreativeshow.eventbrite.com

 Here’s more info:
Meta4rikal Minds Presents
The BROOKLYN EXPO CREATIVE SHOW
ART * CRAFTS * POETRY * MUSIC * BATH & BODY * HOME DECOR & MORE
MAY 30TH, 6PM – 11PM
@ 241 Prospect Place Brooklyn, NY 11238
Subway trains: B,Q to the 7th Ave station & 2,3 to the Grand Army Plaza station
$10 online + FREE glass of wine
$12 @ the door + wine with $2 min. donation
(*extra wine with $2 min. donation)
 
*JOIN US & INVITE YOUR FRIENDS HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/646545178823388/
#BrooklynExpoCreativeShow
#Meta4rikalMindz
#M4M
I will be there, selling copies of my books and answering any questions.  I’m looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there!!!!
M4M BK EXPO FLYER

Tips For Promoting Your Book

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As I may have mentioned in past blog entries, I’m a fan of Writer’s Digest Magazine.  Each issue contains helpful information for professional writers and amateurs alike.  The current issue contains great information on how to promote your book, especially if you are self-published, like me.  Here are some strategies I have learned from the article, “Success Stories in Self Promotion”, located on page 26:

 

1. Kindle, Kindle, Kindle! Kindle is a wonderful way to publish your book, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Why? Simple: there is NO COST to publish with Kindle! You can enroll your book into Amazon’s KDP Select, where subscribers can check it out for free.  Other readers can still pay to download a copy of your book.  However, free samples will attract new readers.

 

2. Goodreads Giveaways.  If you are an author, you really need to become a Goodreads Author.  Creating an Author Page is very simple, and once you get started, you can host a giveaway.  I held my first giveaway just last month for “Valentine”, for 10 books.  While I only anticipated 100-150 entries, I received 511 entries! What does this mean? While I’m only giving away 10 copies, 511 people became interested in “Valentine”.  10 new people will receive books, 10 new people will read “Valentine“, and hopefully, provide me with some feedback.  If you’re on Facebook, you can invite your friends to join you on Goodreads, where they can friend you and become your “fans”.

 

3. Blogging. Do you have a website? Hopefully, you answered “yes” to that question.  Now, do you have a blog? If you said yes, good for you.  If you said no, well, start one! Blogging is not complicated (look if I can do it, anyone can).  My suggestion: don’t make every blog you post about your book.  Mix it up! Blog about your hobbies, or your job, or your kids, etc.  If all I did was shove my books in your face in every blog, it would be pretty boring.  Also, blog about the things that help you with your writing; things that have worked for you as well as the things that didn’t work. 

 

4. Social Media: Like it or not, as a writer, you can not afford to ignore social media.  Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr…I’m on all of them.  Yes, keeping up with so many pages can be a pain sometimes (I have neglected my Tumblr page, but I’m working on it), but it’s a must.  Create a Facebook page for your book, where you can post links to where it can be purchased,  Also, you can post quotes from the book itself.  Tweet lines from the book on Twitter.  And if you don’t have a website….wait for it….you can create one on WordPress FOR FREE.  Yes, FREE! Again, super easy to do. 

 Of course you can find these tips and more in Writer’s Digest Magazine