Category: Writing

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 🙂

Woolaston Entertainment

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.

Woolaston Entertainment

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

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

Birthday Wisdom

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My birthday was on Sunday, December 1st. In the days leading up to this joyous occasion, I began to think about my life; where I’ve been and where I’d like to go, things that have happened, etc. I suppose I should pass along some nuggets of wisdom, for people who are younger than me. So, here it goes.

When I woke up on the morning of my thirtieth birthday, I felt a mild sense of panic. I thought, “Oh God, I’m thirty! I’m single! What do I do now?” I had ended a long term relationship about a year and a half prior to this, and there weren’t any prospects on the horizon. Then I got over the shock, enjoyed my birthday, and moved on. In fact, that’s what I’ve done with every birthday since then. 

June 2018
Yes world, this is me. 

My little nugget of wisdom is simply this: live your life the way you want to live it. We set goals for ourselves, and we have such high expectations of where we’re supposed to be at certain stages of our lives. When we don’t achieve those goals or meet our own expectations, we begin to feel like failures. I had to teach myself to get over this.

live your life the way you want to live it

I don’t need to impress anyone. I don’t owe anyone an explanation of my life. All I need to do, is wake up each morning, be the best me I can be, do no harm to others, and just live my life. When I woke up yesterday on my birthday, I decided not to put any pressure on myself. I’m past that point where every birthday needs to be celebrated fabulously (thirty-seven isn’t a milestone, but forty will be). I spent the day with my mother, eating  Thanksgiving leftovers and watching football. The gifts I ordered online are on their way, and I’ll celebrate when payday rolls around again. My Patriots lost, but Julian Edelman got a touchdown, which is what I wanted, so that’s my little b-day gift. Thank you, Jules.

Aside from my birthday, it’s also Woolaston Entertainment’s birthday. My creation is twenty-five, and I’d like to think over the years, we’ve gotten better together. 

Woolaston Entertainment

 

NaNoWriMo: Creative Nonfiction

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Greetings, folks! It’s still November, so it’s still NaNoWriMo. I hosted a Creative Nonfiction Workshop on Nov 14, for seven people (not bad for an introvert who doesn’t like speaking in front of groups, eh?)

We had a wonderful discussion about what CNF is, and we looked at some examples. Memoirs are among my favorite forms of CNF. I read Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine when I was in middle school, and back then I had no idea it was actually a memoir from the author’s childhood. Stephen King, one of my favorite authors, uses a lot of his personal experiences in his writing. “The Body”, the short story that was adapted into the film, Stand By Me, is an example of this. When King was a child, he and his friends really did discover a dead body. 

Of course, not every CNF book is completely honest. Take for example, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, published in 2003. This moving piece of literature about a man who overcomes alcohol and drug addiction won the hearts of readers all across America, including Oprah Winfrey. Oprah invited James to be a guest on her show. Eventually, someone did a little research, and exposed James as a fraud. Most of the info in the book was either made up or exaggerated. Instead of spending weeks in jail, he apparently only spent a few hours, and so on. 

Should CNF be honest? I’d like to think so. But the title of the genre is tricky. Creative makes you think along the lines of things that are made-up, while Nonfiction leads you to believe, the information is completely true. Put them together, and they almost sound like an oxymoron. CNF is telling a true story in a way that is engaging. It’s almost like the difference between a story on your local news channel, vs a story on Dateline.  Your local news will be very cut and dry, and straight forward. They give you the facts, and then they move on to the next story. Dateline, on the other hand, draws you in, and makes the details of the story more interesting. Sure, facts are still facts, but they’re being presented in a way that makes them interesting, and not just mere facts. 

If you’re considering writing a CNF of your own, here’s a list of great books to look at from Bookriot.com :

Creative Nonfiction Books

Have a happy NaNoWriMo!