Category: Writing

Things To Do While You’re In Between Books

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Let’s say you’ve written a wonderful manuscript. You’ve done all the editing your mind can handle. The cover is ready. You’ve already begun promoting your new title.  Everything is set. The book has been published! Hooray!!! So, now what?

Of course, now you can really focus on  promoting your book. However, as a writer, you can’t spend every minute of every day, promoting. Writers write. It’s what we do. There’s another book in you, waiting to come out, but perhaps you’re not quite ready to start another new draft.

I recently ran into this problem. I had just completed the next two books in a series I had been working on, and finished the final book in yet a different series. Being someone whose mind needs constant stimulation, I tried to decide what to do next. Then I thought, “I’ll publish a book of short stories! Yes!”. So I did. But now that book is complete. I have another book in mind, but I’m not ready to work on it just yet. So, the question became: How do I fill in the time between working on the last book, and starting the next book?

I know I can’t just sit around and do absolutely nothing. It’s against my nature. However, I know if I start another book before I’m ready to, I won’t put 100% of myself into it, and the book will ultimately…suck. Therefor, I have come up with a few ways to keep myself busy in the meantime.

Read! If you’re a writer, chances are, you’re also a reader. Reading is a fantastic way to pass the time between books. While working on Our Lady of Righteous Rage, I read several books about punk rock, guitars, etc. Even when I’m not working on that series, I still read punk-related books and magazines. I often find sources of material for the next book.

Re-read your other books. This may sound like a crazy idea, but it can come in handy. I know: you probably read your other books to death while you were working on them. But here’s a scenario: you’re writing the third book in a series. Maybe there are a few details from the previous two books you have forgotten. This has happened to me. It may be helpful to go back and re-read the other books.

Study your competition. Let’s say you’re writing a book about a group of children with unusual or magical powers, but you’ve never read Harry Potter or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. This may be a good time to read other books that fall within the genre you’re writing for. This will give you an opportunity to see what makes those other books so popular among readers.

You can still promote your older books. Just because you published a certain title three years ago, doesn’t mean you should just stick it on a shelf and forget about it. I published Fortune’s Wing in 2009, and I still tweet about it and post about it on Facebook. If I forget about the book, so will the rest of the world. You can use this time to devote a little attention to the previous books you’ve published.

Do you have any hobbies that tie into your writing? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Everyone is different. Playing guitar and listening to music led me to write Our Lady of Righteous Rage, so while I worked on that series, I also played my guitars and listened to a ton of Green day, MCR and The Clash, to name a few. Doing this inspired me, and gave me some fresh insight for the next books in the series. If you’re a sci-fi writer, maybe watching a few sci-fi movies will keep you in the spirit of your writing.

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Jack, my Fender, who keeps me company when I’m not writing.

 

 

I hope my advice was helpful. Keep writing, folks.

 

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

Lola, Jo, and the Badass Girls of “Valentine”

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ValVerLola
Val, Veronica & Lola

The other day, someone asked me if I considered my self to be a feminist writer. I hadn’t thought about that, until that moment. I considered my style of writing, and the characters and stories I’ve created over the years, and realized, YES, I suppose I am a feminist writer. The majority of my characters a female, and they’re not the “damsel in distress” type. Take the “Valentine” series, for example. The first book starts out with 19-year-old Val Entienne (aka, Valentine) driving from Chicago to L.A. to find her father. She’s a young woman, armed with a pair of handguns, and a serious “can-do-will-do” attitude. She knows the trip is dangerous, but she’s willing to risk her safety to find her father. Throughout the rest of the series, Val does several things that art generally not associated with her gender. Aside from knowing how to shoot (and being a very good shot, I may add) she knows a lot about cars and how to fix them. She has no problem stepping into the role of “leader” of her family. She’ll do anything to protect the people she cares about. All in all, Val is a badass.

But she’s not the only one. The “Valentine” series is full of strong female characters. Two of them, just appeared in their own books. Lola Vencent, John Rafferty’s former valkyrie, and Jo Fuentes, have their own back-stories.  Both Lola and Jo are hit-women, and both are extremely skilled and good at their jobs. Aside from being a hit-woman, Jo is also a United States Marine (extra street credit there).

Val’s cousin Veronica is another force to be reckoned with. If Val needs someone to back her up, Veronica is right there. She comes off as the voice of reason in the Entienne family, but she can be tough when she needs to be. At one point, she even pulls a gun on Rafferty.

I’ve been inspired by strong women most of my life. My primary source of inspiration, is my mother.  She raised me single-handedly, and she has always been my rock. There’s a little bit of her, in all of my female characters.

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

War Poems by Christopher Pascale (A Review)

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War Poems Book
War Poems by Christopher Pascale

 

 

I recently had an opportunity to read a collection of poetry by author and US Marine, Christopher Pascale, titled War Poems. The poems are written in free verse, which I happen to be a fan of, simply because it gives the poet more freedom to create his or her own writing style.  A description is present for each poem, which contains some background info about the poem itself. Each poems flows in a way that made me feel like they needed to be read out loud, at a café where spoken word is welcomed, or a t a poetry slam. This is especially true for “196 Chicago Ave”.  One of my personal favorites, is  “Autumn”.  This poem feels like it has a dual meaning: Autumn could be the season itself, or a person. I also like the sense of loneliness in “Chanelle”.

While “Camping With Dad” is fictional, it definitely feels real: a child’s point of view of a veteran parent’s flashback. Anyone who has ever experienced being poor, or just down on their luck (I certainly have) can relate to the feeling of desperation in  “Falling Down”, another one of my favorites.

Whether you’re looking for new poetry, or simply in search of work from a new author, War Poems is definitely worth reading. These poems are raw and filled with emotion, and describe places and feelings many of us will never experience, and perhaps, take for granted.

About the Author:

Christopher Pascale served in the US Marine Corps from 2003-2008 as a combat engineer. He currently lives on Long Island.

War Poems is available for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/War-Poems-Marines-Tour-2003-2008/dp/1576385108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489431356&sr=8-1&keywords=war+poems+christopher+pascale

“Her Name is Lola Vencent” is full of hints…

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HNILV
Concept for cover of “Her Name is Lola Vencent”

 

 

I have some very good news today: I just finished the draft for “Her Name is Lola Vencent”, the second book in the “Valentine Apart” series! I will release it next month, along with book three, “Jo Fuentes: The Black Queen”. So, what’s so special about “Lola Vencent”? It’s full of hints.

This book will reveal how Lola met Val’s father, Vincent. It will also be the first time, Victor Entienne, Veronica and Victoria’s father, will be featured as a character, and not just a memory. Plus, you’ll learn about how Lola met Allan and Mac Avery, and how she and Barbara O’Riley joined the Syndicate.

I’ve probably said too much here! But I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book. “Her Name is Lola Vencent” will be available this March.

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

The Dark Side of Valentine

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“I’ll kill you myself. I’ll kill you in the most violent way I can think of.”

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If you’ve read the books in the Valentine series, you may have noticed, the story started out with mild violence, which progressed as the story continued. Yes, bullets have been fired and people have been shot. In fact, a few people have died. In a story involving a girl who carries a pair of handguns and is friends with a lot of hit men and hit women, there has to be some sort of body count.

The Val Entienne you have come to know in the previous books in the series, is going to change in book 4. She’s a little darker; she has to be. Now more than ever, Val wants to protect her family, and this time, the threat isn’t an assumed one. This time, the threat is very, very real. Rafferty has made it clear, he wants Val dead.  So, it’s kill or be killed.

You can expect a few deaths in this part of the story. Not to include any spoilers, but keep an eye on Val’s demeanor, from here on, because it’s going to change.

 

Websites For Publishing EBooks

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If you’ve read my previous blog posts , you know I’m practically a “Create Space Cheerleader”. I use Amazon’s Create Space to publish my books, in both paperback and EBook form. However, I also respect the idea, that some writers may want to choose another source to publish their words, and there’s nothing wrong with that. So, I have conducted a small search, and I have found other sites, which offer EBook publishing services, or services which permit authors to publish their work online.

Blurb.com

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/ebooks/new

Blurb offers a service which will help you publish, sell and distribute your EBook.

Jukepop.com

http://www.jukepop.com/Home/Welcome

This site lets you publish your book, one chapter at a time. You can give your readers free access, or ask readers for a donation, which will unlock other portions of your book. You can find some of my work here.

Rokdo.com

http://www.rokdo.com/

This site is similar to Jukepop. You can publish a book one chapter at a time.

Bookbaby.com

https://www.bookbaby.com/

They offer an EBook publishing service, for a fee.

Of course, there are plenty of other services available. I posted the ones I’m familiar with. And, I must add, I DO NOT recommend Xlibris publishing.

I hope this helps.

New Books Coming Soon!

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Even though this is only the first month of the new year, I’m happy to report I have made a lot of progress, where my upcoming books are concerned. I started four manuscripts last year, just before NaNoWriMo. Within the past seven days, I completed three of them! I have one left, and it should be finished by the end of this month. SO, good news: three manuscripts ready to enter the editing phase. Bad news: three manuscripts ready to enter the editing phase! Editing will be tedious, but its necessary.  I’m looking forward to releasing new books this year.

Sample from “Valentine 4” (coming soon!)

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. “Interesting,” Kelly said.  “Would you like Jo to shoot her for you?”

“I could,” Jo said.

Veronica came back into the living room. “What?” she said.

“Or one of us could do it,” Mac said.

“I’d be glad to do it,” Lola said.

“Why don’t we draw straws?” Jo asked.

Val looked around at the faces of her friends, laughed. “Oh my God,” she said. “All my friends are killers. How did that happen?”

Sample from “Jo Fuentes: The Black Queen” (Valentine Apart Series)

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          “You know, I read about you, before I came up here,” Jo said. “I read all about how you like to sleep with young women who get speeding tickets in your town. And I read all about that little incident involving the under aged driver, who didn’t want to sleep with you in order to get out of a ticket. I also read about the massive number of complaints that have been filed against you, for sexual harassment, misconduct, and racial profiling. Black suspects and Latino suspects being questioned by you and beaten by you. It seems like a lot of the men and women in your precinct don’t like the things you’ve done.”

            Rennick laughed nervously. “So, you think you know about me?” he said. “Right now, a speeding ticket is gonna be the last thing you have to worry about!” He turned to leave, and placed his hand on the doorknob. When he tried to turn it, it wouldn’t open. He tried it again, and again, but it still wouldn’t open. “Hey!” he shouted through the door. “Dowd! Michaels! Open this damn door!”

            Dowd and Michaels could see their chief through the small window on the door to the interrogation room. They looked at him, then turned away from the door.

            “Hey!” Rennick shouted again. “I said open this damn door! I know you can hear me!”

            Dowd and Michaels ignored him. So did every other officer who walked by.

            “You think they locked me in here, with you,” Jo said. She raised her hands, and placed them on top of the table, just as Rennick turned to face her. “But that’s not it. The truth is, they locked you in here with me.” She stood up from the table, and walked around it. Before Rennick could draw his gun, she had him in a choke hold.

Reading Books Within Your Genre

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If you’re a writer, then there’s a very good chance you’re also a reader. How can you not be? Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time reading books which contain the subject matter I want to write about. For example, while working on Our Lady of Righteous Rage, I drew from my own personal experiences, and I also read a lot of books about punk rock; the history of it and punk rock as a culture. Reading books within the same genre you’re planning to write for, can be very useful. If you want to write books about paranormal romance, I suggest reading books in that category. This can help you gain insight into what’s popular in that genre, and what readers may be looking for. If you’re going to write science fiction, then you may want to read science fiction. Plus, you don’t have to stop at books, alone. I can’t begin to tell you the number of issues of Alternative Press , Rock Sound and Rolling Stone Magazine I’ve collected over the years.

At the same time, I believe reading should be a pleasurable experience.  I read books in certain genres for research purposes, as well as for fun. I like to see how other writers present similar stories and characters.