Long long ago, back in 2009, I published my first book, Fortune’s Wing, with a POD (print-on-demand) company called Xlibris. Then, I published Valentine. I published a third book, and would have happily contiuned to work with them, until I went to an ALA convention. My books, along with the books of several other Xlibris authors, was on display, with the hope that libraries and schools would order copies. I was given the impression, the someone would be on hand to offer info about the books. Instead, the books were placed on a large bookshelf, and the representative from Xlibris simply sat at the table in silence. Top notch marketing…
Fast forward to 2015. I republished on my own, via Create Space, Amazon’s self-publishing platform. Needless to say, I’m much happier with Create Space, and KDP. However, I still have copies of the editions I published with Xlibris, and I’d like to sell what I have left.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Fortune’s Wing or Valentine, they are available on my website, woolastonentertainment.com, for $3 each, with $1 shipping. I’ll even sign them for you!
In case you’ve never read my book, Novocaine, here’s a little sample from Chapter One:
“Doug, are you still there? Doug, please answer me…”
Silence. No answer from Doug. Personally, I was waiting for the clichéd heavy breathing, followed by the sudden emotional breakdown: intense sobbing, sniffling, etc. And Doug did not disappoint. A few seconds after the silence, he came back onto the line, crying and doing his best to snort what I can only imagine must be a little river of mucus running from his nose. “I’m just so tired of it all, man,” he said. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay Doug,” the radio therapist said. “We all have moments where we don’t know what to do. It’s perfectly normal…”
It was late, and their conversation was getting boring. Who am I kidding? It wasn’t getting boring—it had been boring from the very beginning. I only tuned in because every now and then, there was a caller with a real problem. I’m talking, lost-their-whole-family-in-a-fire type of shit. People like that need help. I only listen, though. I never call in. My problems weren’t big enough for a talk radio audience. Dr. Kenny Lazaro was on the air between one and three in the morning. He offers comfort and advice for the suicidal and broken-hearted. He had been on the line with a caller named Doug for about twenty minutes. Doug didn’t have any family or friends who cared about him. He recently lost his job (a barista at Starbucks) and his girlfriend was trying to break up with him. He claimed he wanted to kill himself, which is bullshit, because if he really wanted to die, he’d be dead. So, I guess what Doug really needed was cuddling. Someone to hold his hand and massage his feelings, and tell him everything was going to be okay. Someone to take his world filled with darkness, and fill it with sunshine and unicorns and rainbows. What Doug really needs, is for someone to kick him in his balls (if he even has any) and tell him to man up. Stop being such a pussy, and realize that bad shit happens to everyone. It’s called life.
I turned my radio off, and rolled over in my bed. I figured it was time for me to get some sleep. After all, we teenagers need plenty of sleep in order to function in school. I’d hate to fall asleep during math class…that would be a terrible shame.
I’m still working on Our Lady of Righteous Rage #4: Righteous. Here’s a little sample from Chapter 62. Enjoy!
“Think about it,” Nick said. “If it wasn’t for Our Lady, would any of us visit Kansas City or Chicago? Albuquerque or Scottsdale? Would any of us even venture out this far? We were just kids in New York, learning to play guitars and writing songs here and there. Now look at us! We’re playing gigs across the country. We’re just a little indie punk band, and people in Arizona and California and Illinois actually want to pay to hear us play! How’d that happen?”
We were silent. It made me think about where I was, just a few years ago. Graduating from high school. Moving around with Mom. Homeless and living in a hotel room. Then, working in a bookstore. Working at Urban Collective. Making friends with rock stars. How did that happen?
“It happened because it was meant to,” Mike said, standing up from his chair. “I don’t want to get too religious and freak anyone out, but I believe there’s a plan for everyone. Call it God, or the Divine, or the universe, or whatever, but there’s a higher power out there, that creates a purpose for all of us. I didn’t really know what my purpose was, until you asked me to be your manager. I didn’t think I could do it. But you had faith in me, so I just put my best foot forward, and did what I thought was the right thing. We’re here, because we’re supposed to be here. You feel me?”
Welcome back, everyone. I hope you had a great weekend. For those of you who found yourselves snowed in, I hope you found plenty to keep yourself occupied. This is the final Monday Blog for the month of March, and I wanted to share some of the things I’m working on for Righteous.
The band hits the road…
The hardest part about writing this particular book, is writing about the individual shows. I’ve never played a live show, so I can’t draw from my own personal experience. What I can do, is think back to every live show I’ve been to, and use the performances I’ve seen as a basis for my writing. So far, it’s really helping.
More than just shows…
Righteous is about more than Our Lady hitting the road and playing gigs in new cities. I want the story to focus on some of the other characters the band meets along the way (for example, Carla Caliece. You’re going to love her!). As I have done in the past, I will include a real event or two within the story, in keeping with the time frame (2013).
Things get a little more personal…
One of my favorite things about the Our Lady series, is the fact that each character has some degree of personal baggage. David’s issue is his divorce from Amy. Amy’s issue is, trying to live up to the expectations placed on her as a musician and a female role model. Nick’s issue is trying to write better music, and so on. Two bands who don’t get along are touring at the same time, playing the same cities. You know there’s going to be a fight or two…
I have to write new music…
Yep, this is a story about a band, so there have to be some song lyrics here and there, right? Right. Our Lady’s music, is my music. This book, and the idea of my fictional band going on tour, means it’s time for me to break out the old notepad and pen some new songs! But it’s cool, because I enjoy it.
Room for one more?
Will this be the grand finale of the series? No! I’ve already started making plans to write the next book! Yeas, I’m crazy like that. Not to give too much away, but the next book may revolve around some of the music Nick is going to write while he’s on the road…
I haven’t come up with a theme for April yet, but I’m always open to suggestions! Until next week…
Hello! Welcome back! I missed you over the weekend (really, I did!) It’s Monday, so it’s time for the Monday Blog. It’s Valentine month, so I have good news, and great news! Plus, I’m going to answer one of my reader’s questions: Is Valentine a feminist series?
Valentine 1 and 2 Promotion Results
The first two books in the Valentine series were free for Kindle and the Kindle App, from Feb 5th through the 9th. The results: seven of you downloaded books! Two of you emailed me to say how much you enjoyed the books! Thank you! I’m going to run promotions like this throughout the rest of the year, so you may want to check the website often. And now for the better news…
Valentine 3 Promotion
You’ve read books 1 and 2, so you may as well read 3, right? Valentine 3: Queen of Hearts, will be FREE, for Kindle and the Kindle App, from Feb 12th through 14th (starting TODAY!) So, if you have the Kindle or the Kindle App, you can download a free copy! How cool is that?
Valentine 3 is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Valentine-Hearts-Nicole-E-Woolaston-ebook/dp/B01MXXYCEC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1518289553&sr=8-1
Is Valentine a Feminist Series?
I never really thought of myself as a feminist, or a feminist writer, for that matter. I simply write what I like. My writing began with my love of books, and my difficulty finding books with subjects I wanted to read about, over time. But I suppose I can call myself a feminist writer: most of my characters are female, and most of those females are not “damsels in distress”.
Now, for the question: Is Valentine a feminist series? The answer: yes. Sure it is. Was that my intention? No. But that’s the way it worked out. Let’s consider the definition of the word feminist: person who supports feminism. Well, that didn’t help, did it? Let’s consider the definition of feminism instead: the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. That’s much better. Think about the “heroes” we see in movies and on television. There have always been plenty of “tough guys” around. The renegade cop with a chip on his shoulder. The butt-kicking karate expert. There are plenty of strong male characters, but now, more strong female characters are emerging. Val Entienne is a female, but she has some masculine traits: she carries a pair of guns, she drives a classic Mustang, she’s not afraid to get into a fight, etc. She’s like this, because she can be like this. I wanted to take a male personality, and place it inside a female character. Then I wanted to surround her with other females like herself (Lola Vencent, Jo Fuentes, Mac Avery, etc.). In the end, I wanted to show, a girl and be both a badass, and a girl.
Welcome to the first Monday Blog of February! I have plenty of good news for you. This month is Valentine Month, and not just because of the holiday. I’m celebrating the five books in the Valentine series. There’s a give-away going on this week: Kindle versions of Valentine and Valentine 2: The Patron Saint, are FREE!!! Between February 5 and February 9, you can get both eBooks for free, if you have a Kindle or the Kindle App. I’m using this promotion to introduce Valentine to a new audience. If you decide to download either book, and you like what you read, please take a moment to post a review!
Dee Seybrook: Rock N’ Roll Diva
Yes, I finally finished my twentieth book! Dee Seybrook is currently available on Amazon in the form of a paperback. I will release the eBook in a month or so. The story follows Dee’s rediscovery of punk rock while Aidan and the band are out on their first national tour. Consider this book to be a teaser until Righteous is ready.
A Rose Left Behind
My mother and fellow author, June E. Parris, has just completed her second book! A Rose LeftBehind is the story of a special paranormal secret one family discovers within the walls of their home. It should be available for sale by the end of February.
Some of my books were published through Xlibris, others with Create Space
Happy Monday, everyone! This week, I wanted to discuss the importance of failure. Yes, failure is important. When things don’t go the way you want them to, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve had several failures in my life, and I’m grateful for each one, because I learned a valuable lesson from them.
I’ve worked at jobs I couldn’t stand. I’ve been to college, but didn’t graduate. I’ve worked with publishers who either ripped me off, or simply folded. Something wonderful has come out of each of these events. For example:
The Event Negatives Positives
Working at Walgreen’s long hours, crazy schedules $ for publishing,
limited free time learned to manage business
learned customer service
Working at B&N not much $ learned book releases discount on books
internet access
Going to Art Institute $$student loan intro’d to work of Patti Smith,
Rimbaud, Diane Arbus
learned Photo Shop
learned how to use color
learned to design website
Working with Xlibris $$$ for marketing learned about publishing
$$$ for publishing learned about marketing
my work in print
In every case, the positives far outweighed the negatives. Take all of the negative things in your life, whether it’s your job, or school, or even a relationship, and pull as many useful things as you can from them. I may not have finished at the Art Institute (they closed their TriBeCa location because the Government sued them, BTW), but I did learn to use Photo Shop, I learned how to use a variety of color schemes, and how to design a website. Working with Xlibris may have been costly, but I was able to get my work in print for the first time. So, I took a negative, and turned it into a positive. I hope you can do the same.
It’s Monday, so it’s time for the Monday Blog. This week, in honor of Emo Month, I wanted to talk about the use of symbols and witchcraft in The Witch of Fulton Lane.
We’re surrounded by symbols. Some of them are obvious, while others are not easily recognizable. One of the most misunderstood symbols, is the pentacle, the star inside a circle. In Fulton Lane, Dylan wears a pentacle around her neck for protection. This is NOT an evil symbol. If the star was inverted, that would be associated with the devil, or Satanism. Here’s a fun fact: the symbol on Converse high-tops, is a pentacle. Give yourself a moment to absorb that.
Witchcraft is an important part of Fulton Lane. Dylan is a witch, and she does cast a few spells throughout the story. She also performs tarot card readings, and speaks with the dead. Don’t worry: I didn’t throw a bunch of random information into this story. I did my homework for this one. I wanted to incorporate witchcraft into this story, not just for entertainment purposes, but because I wanted to cast a positive light on the subject. People tend to fear the unknown and the things they don’t understand. I hope, after reading this book, people will become more interested in learning about the subject, rather than simply dismissing it as evil.
Greetings, everyone! Monday Blog time! This week, I wanted to discuss Valentine 5: The Queen’sFold, The Witch of Fulton Lane, and provide an update about Righteous.
Valentine 5: The Queen’s Fold
If you’ve been keeping up with the previous blog entries, you may have been wondering, “Is that all she’s going to say about Valentine 5?” Fear not! I’m going to talk more about it, right here. When I first introduced Val Entienne, she was on a road trip to save her father. She wanted to find him alive, but if he was dead, she was going to avenge his death. Val ended up helping Melinda St James, a fourteen-year-old girl whose parents had died, and was on her way to live with her grandparents. Instead, she joins Val on her trip to L.A., and ends up living with her afterwards. This is where Val’s real adventure begins: she gets into a fight with a mob boss, shoots a few people, and puts her life on the line to keep her friends and family safe. She even travels to Italy, and learns about the history of the Entienne family. So, after all of the fighting and shooting and killing, between meeting and befriending hitmen and accepting her place in the Syndicate, how does the story of Valentine end? It ends the only way it can end: with a bang. There’s a difference between reputation and action; a legend and the truth. The final book, brings everything full circle.
The Witch of Fulton Lane
I had been wanting to write this book for a very long time, but other books stood in the way, and I wasn’t even sure of where or how to start. Finally, I figured, time’s a-wasting, so I needed to get started. I’ve been into astrology, the paranormal, and psychic powers for years. I’ve had many readings done, and I also read tarot cards. So, there’s a little bit of me in the main character, Dylan Maycriss. Dylan is a witch, and I’m not just name-calling here. She is a Wiccan, is a believer in the occult, and, as you will read when the book comes out, she does have supernatural powers. But what Dylan can do, won’t be the heart of the story. Of course, you’ll have to wait until the book is available to see what I mean.
Update on Righteous
I don’t want any of you to think I’m shelving this book forever. Between Righteous, The Witch ofFulton Lane, and Valentine 5, I was stretching myself way too thin. Plus, I have a few side projects I’ve been working on for other people. In order to give Righteous the attention it deserves, I thought it would be best to postpone working on it until January 2018. This way, I’ll be able to give you the best version of the book I can possibly give, instead of rushing through it.
