Hello, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Thankfully, 2020 is nearly over. There’s something else coming to an end: the BOGO sale here on Woolaston Entertainment. Tomorrow (December 27) is the final day to purchase a title and receive a select title for free. I have to say, the sale was pretty successful (13 books purchased and 13 given away is pretty successful for an indie author!). So, if you’re thinking about placing an order, Sunday night, Dec 27 will be your last chance to take advantage of the sale.
Thank you again to everyone who ordered, and I hope you enjoy your books!
Chances are, your local public library has shelves that are lines with thousands of books. Readers have plenty to choose from. If you’ve published a book and it’s available at … Continue reading Lola Vencent is a HPL Favorite
Woolaston Entertainment turned 26 this month! In honor of the 26 years, I’m having a sale for 26 days! Now through December 27, you can purchase select paperback titles from … Continue reading 26 Days of BOGO!
Welcome to the middle of November! Its also the middle of NaNoWriMo. This is the halfway point! So, now what? First of all, don’t stress yourself. There isn’t a written … Continue reading The NaNoWriMo Halfway Point
Most of us are familiar with a “sequel”: a body of work that continues the story from a previous body of work. But what about the story before the story? … Continue reading The Importance of Prequels
When I first published Valentine in 2010 (then republished in in 2015), I didn’t plan on writing so many books in the series. At most, I thought the Valentine series would contain three books. Instead, the primary series has five books, with a spin-off series which contains five books and another series with six books. All together, there are sixteen books in the Valentine universe, and I have another series planned which will contain at least three (possibly five; I’m wacky like that).
New cover of Valentine
Lucia and the Saints: Volume One
Valentine led to the Valentine Apart series: five books about characters featured in the primary series. The lives of Allan and Mac Avery, Lola Vencent, Kelly McCormick and Jo Fuentes are explored in a series of prequels as well as stories that coincide with the events in the primary series. Readers learn about Allan and Mac’s lives as hitmen, how Lola came to work for Rafferty, how Kelly became a member of the Syndicate and what led Jo to work for Kelly. But there’s a story before all of these stories. There’s a character who ultimately laid the foundation for all of these different paths to cross.
Enter Lucia Milazzo: the star of Lucia and the Saints. If Valentine Apart is a prequel, then Lucia is the prequel to the prequel. Before Val got her reputation, before Lola fired her first shot, there was Lucia. With all of the heads of the Syndicate (the network of criminals found in the Valentine series) being men, it’s ironic that the most important members can be traced back to one woman. She’s responsible for bringing John Rafferty into the fold, which technically makes her responsible for every event that occurs afterwards.
Lucia and the Saints not only introduces Lucia herself, it introduces many of the characters from the Valentine series. Readers meet young Allan and Mac Avery, learn how Vincent and Victor Entienne came to work for Rafferty, and why Jacob almost wasn’t hired. They also learn how Rafferty made his fortune (with Lucia’s help).
At the end of the sixth and final book in the series, Lucia finds herself with a choice to make. Her decision ultimately effects the lives of everyone in the Valentine series.
I used to be against prequels. I felt like they didn’t serve a purpose: if you’ve read the main story, then you already know the outcome. Then I decided to give prequels the credit they deserve. They offer insight into certain characters and situations. In Lucia and the Saints, the questions of “How did Rafferty become so powerful?” and “How did the Syndicate get started?” are answered. Also, the main question: “Who is responsible for all of this?”
Childhood friends grow up together and accomplish a common goal: to start a successful punk rock band. This is one of the elements in Our Lady of Righteous Rage. A group of friends in late 1990’s/early 2000’s New York start a band, and begin writing and recording music. This is in the first book of the series. As the band begins to stretch its legs and make some money, they have to deal with their newfound fame. But fame, like many things, comes at a high cost…
No one prepared them for the amount of privacy they would need to surrender. No one prepared them for the fake stories that would begin to circulate about them. For Amy, Rob, Nick and Aidan, and their friends and family, nothing will ever be the same.
This weekend, the second, third and fourth books in the series are available to download from Amazon FOR FREE. No, I’m not crazy. If you’ve read the first book in the series, this is the perfect time to jump into the other books. Amy and company are about to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives, complete with live performances, fans, haters, and maybe a fight or two. Your Fame Will Destroy You, Rowdyand Righteous are FREE this weekend, Saturday morning through Sunday night. Head over to the Books page onWoolaston Entertainmentfor direct links and enjoy!
I recently participated in an event at the Hampton Public Library, titled “Black Books Matter”. It gave me an opportunity to interact with fellow author David Barr III, and meet some people from my community. Books by Black authors featuring Black characters were on display, including A Rose Left Behind by June Parris (my mother!), The Witch of Fulton Lane and Her Name is Lola Vencent (my books). Copies of A Rose Left Behind and Her Name is Lola Vencent were given away as prizes in a raffle. Plus, I received some positive feedback from the patron who borrowed a copy of Her Name is Lola Vencent. As a writer, it’s always nice to hear a reader enjoyed one of your books.
Lola Vencent
I chose Her Name is Lola Vencent for the raffle, because Lola is one of my favorite characters from the Valentine series. Why? Simple: Lola is aBOSS. She has no fear, and has no problem when it comes to getting her job done. She’s one of the Syndicate’s few female members, and she’s one of the best hitwomen available. Here’s a look at five times Lola proved she’s a boss.
When she kills a target named Cunningham, she does it without any hesitation or feeling. It’s a job, and she’s been hired to do it. Case closed.
She’s studying law at NYU. Aside from working as a hitwoman, she’s also in college!
She puts her foot down with Rafferty right away. When she meets him for the first time, he has a pair of scantily clad ladies in his office. Lola lets Rafferty know their relationship is going to be strictly professional.
She uses her connections in Italy to get Val out of a tight situation: Lola speaks Italian and uses her contacts to get Val to an embassy when she gets stuck overseas.
When Val’s grandfather attempts to kill her, Lola is armed and ready, and saves Val’s life again.
“I’m not one of them. I’ll never be one of those women
Of course there are other examples of Lola’s skills, but you’ll need to read Her Name is Lola Vencent and follow her in the Valentine series to learn more!
