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