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.
Tag: fiction
Sample from “Jo Fuentes: The Black Queen” (Valentine Apart Series)
“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.
Feminism in W.E. Books
Valentine
Haverdy Oyama , Val Entienne & Amy Edwards
Thinking about W.E.’s 22 anniversary, I can’t help but think about the primary part of W.E., which is the books. Thinking about the books, led me to think about the characters in them. When I was a child, I gravitated towards books with stories about female characters who weren’t afraid to do whatever the male characters did. I was never a big fan of stories about princesses. I was a bit of a tomboy, so stories about ultra-girly characters didn’t interest me. When I started writing, my female characters were bold, brave, and they weren’t afraid to do any of the things the male characters would do. The definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social and economic equality to men. I didn’t want to create female characters who were “damsels in distress”.
Take Haverdy Oyama of Fortune’s Wing, for example. Haverdy is a tomboy, through and through. She wears her hair short, like a boy, and she even wears the boy’s uniform to school. When her brother and his friends find themselves fighting monsters created by the Winged Seven, Haverdy has no problem picking up a sword and running head-first into danger.
Val Entienne of Valentine is equally as brave. Despite her pink hair, when her father needs help, she’s a regular “ride or die” kind of girl. She arms herself with a pair of handguns and drives all the way to California to rescue him. She gets caught in a gunfight on more than one occasion, but she doesn’t run and hide.
Even when some of the guys in her life doubt her abilities and her talent, Amy of Our Lady of Righteous Rage learns to play the guitar and become a rock star. She’s also a firm believer in the idea that girls can do anything boys can do. And the person behind the concept for the retail store in the series, the “Urban Collective”, is Vanessa, another female character.
Should the sword-wielding hero always be a boy? Certainly not. What about the gun-toting Patron Saint? The badass guitarist? I enjoy creating female characters who succeed in male-dominated situations. In Fortune’s Wing, all of the girls are ready to stand with Fortune and fight. In Valentine, it’s Val the members of the Syndicate are afraid of. The female characters in the W.E. books have demonstrated the meaning of feminism and redefined what it means to be in a “woman’s place”.
Her Name is Lola Vencent
November is here, and so is NaNoWriMo 2016! This is a great time to work on your next novel, or finish any projects you may have started earlier … Continue reading Her Name is Lola Vencent
Get Ready to Get Rowdy
Hello, dear readers. It’s October: one of my favorite months of the year. Fall has arrived, there’s a chill in the air, and Halloween is on its way! There’s something else on its way: Rowdy, the third installment of the Our Lady of Righteous Rage series (third, because Novocaine is a companion book).
So, I’m sure by now you’ve read the other books in the series. If you haven’t, fear not. There’s still time before I release Rowdy to the public. Plus, I will provide a very brief recap of the previous books. Of course, I still recommend reading the other two. Sort of the way you can only get so much info from Cliff’s Notes.
What can you expect from Rowdy? More song lyrics, of course. This story will touch on some real issues, such as alcoholism and racism (didn’t see that coming from a story with a feline cast, did ya?). Some familiar faces are going to resurface, but not in a good way.
That’s all I’m going to tell you for now! I don’t want to spoil it for you. Check this blog throughout the month, along with my social media pages, for updates on Rowdy.
#TBT: Anatomy of a Song
Hello, everyone! Since its Throwback Thursday, I decided to upload one of my old blog posts. This one is about Our Lady of Righteous Rage. Enjoy!
Thursday, June 12, 2014: Anatomy of a Song w/ Our Lady of Righteous Rage
One of the most important elements of Our Lady is music, and by music, I mean the lyrics to the band’s songs. The first full set of lyrics to appear in the book, are the lyrics to “Wish You Well”. It’s the song Amy writes in reference to her father. In reality, it’s a song I wrote for my father. The line, “I wish you well”, sounds like she’s wishing her father luck. The truth is, she’s being sarcastic. She doesn’t wish him well at all. More or less, what she’s trying to say is, “Hey, you were never around when I needed you, but I’ll move on, so forget you”. The lyrics, “This would be so easy/ If you were just deceased”, doesn’t mean she wishes her father was dead. What Amy is referring to, is if her father was dead, at least that would be an excuse for him not spending time with her. The fact that he is alive and well and just doesn’t see her, makes the situation harder to deal with. Another important song in the book (and my personal favorite) is “Come for the Wake, Stay for the Funeral”. Amy writes this song after her mother’s aunt’s funeral. Disgusted by the way her family is acting during the wake and at the burial site, Amy begins to view the service as a sort of “Spectator Sport”. The opening lyrics to the song, “All you spectators please gather ‘round/The dearly beloved is barely in the ground” relates to the conversations Amy overhears during the service: people simply wondering if the aunt left them anything in her will. No one seems to care that she is no longer living. In reality, I wrote this song in 2009, after my mother’s Aunt Dorothy passed away. Same situation: people just wanted to know who would get her house or her money. Next, is Nick’s song, “Smoke and Glass”. The complete lyrics do not appear in the book, however, the song is a tribute to September 11th.
The lyrics that the characters write in the story run parallel with the events in their lives. But, this is what most songwriters do: use the events in their lives as inspiration for their music. I suppose this is true for writers of any sort. Charles Dickens is a good example. Some of his best work involves young men born into unfortunate circumstances, and later, their lives turn around for the better. I wrote the lyrics for all of Our Lady’s songs, and bits and pieces of my life can be found in the lyrics.
The Indie Author Who Could
Being an indie author can be challenging sometimes. For anyone out there who is a self-published author, you know what I’m talking about. Choosing the right company to print your books for you. Finding a reliable (and affordable editor) or editing yourself. Cover designs and page layouts. And lets not forget marketing. It’s tough! And even after you have your finished product in your hands, there’s the really fun part: getting your book into a bookstore. Bookstores look at self-published books as if they contain the plague! But, you have to try anyway. After one thousand no’s, you’re bound to hit a yes. I certainly did.
Barnes and Noble is having a Teen Book Festival known as BFest this weekend, and I am fortunate enough to participate. I will be appearing at the location in Bay Plaza in Bronx, NY on Saturday, June 11 at 3pm. I will be reading from “Our Lady of Righteous Rage”, and signing copies afterward. I will also sign copies of “Valentine”. So, why is this event such a big deal? Simple: I’m an indie author, and BN doesn’t sell books by indie authors in their stores. To get in, you have to work very hard. So, this event is special to me. Will it go well? I certainly hope so. Whether I sell 3 copies or 30 copies, I’m happy I was accepted into a major bookstore.
To anyone out there struggling to get their work noticed by the public, I’m proof that you can’t give up. Giving up is simply not an option. Keep trying. Eventually, you will succeed. Good luck to all of my fellow writers and artists out there.
Book Signing at Barnes & Noble!
This is the biggest news I have ever shared! Barnes and Noble is hosting an event known as B-Fest! It’s a Teen Book Festival, from June 10-June 12. I will be taking part in the event at the Bay Plaza location, in the Bronx! I will be there Saturday, June 11th at 3pm, signing copies of Valentine and Our Lady of Righteous Rage, both the original and Extended version. I hope to see all of you there!
Barnes and Noble–Bay Plaza
290 Baychester Ave
Bronx, NY 10475
The World Ending in Fortune’s Wing
Here’s some info on the upcoming Fortune’s Wing: Flies Again, the third and final installment of the series. I’ll try not to provide any spoilers! The question in FW … Continue reading The World Ending in Fortune’s Wing
Black Queen: Killing Machine
Two more books in the Valentine Apart series are on their way! Until they are ready, here’s a sample of the first chapter of Black Queen: Killing Machine. This book in the series reveals Jo Fuentes’ s past, before she met Valentine and just before she began working for Kelly McCormick. Enjoy!
Chapter One
She sat at the table, with her head down; right ear pressed against the surface. Her eyes were open, staring straight ahead at the metal door. The room was a typical interrogation room: painted in that drab matte gray. No windows. No pictures. No contact with the outside world. Only silence. Beyond the door, she imagined people going about their business, doing their jobs. Filing paperwork. Making phone calls. People in their fatigues or “dress blues”. Maybe a handful of people in “civies”. People who were moving around and doing important things, while she sat in a quiet little room, just waiting…
The door suddenly opened, and a man in uniform stepped inside. He was carrying a manila folder. She lifted her head and stood up from her seat, and saluted him. He nodded as he walked over to the table and took the seat across from her. He gestured for her to sit back down. Her eyes remained on his uniform as she seated herself. Marine. A Colonel. Bars. Awards. This guy seemed important.
“I’m Colonel Brantley,” he said. He set the folder on the table, and opened it. “It’s good to have you state-side, Lance Corporal Fuentes.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “But everyone calls me Jo.”
Brantley looked up at her through middle-aged gray eyes. “Jo, is it?” he said. “Jo. Okay, Jo. We need to talk about what happened. I’m going to ask you some questions, for my report. Is that okay with you?”
“Begging your pardon, sir,” Jo said, “But I thought a report had already been filed.”
“This is for my report,” Brantley clarified. “You see, what happened to you is a pretty extraordinary thing. I would like to know more about it.”
Jo shrugged her shoulders. “There’s nothing more for me to tell, sir,” she said. “We came under attack. Corporal Sullivan and I survived, and we’re both here in the states.”
Brantley looked down at the contents of the folder. He thumbed through a few documents, then looked at the eight-by-ten photos behind them. “I believe there’s more to it than that,” he said. He looked up at Jo. “Do you remember that day, Jo? Do you remember what happened?”
Jo stared ahead at him. Her face was still, but her mind was active. Images a Hummer, driving down a road in the Iraqi desert, her unit talking and laughing. Sullivan—Sully, as she called
him—made a joke, and everyone laughed. Suddenly, no one was laughing. There was an explosion, followed by darkness…
“Jo? Fuentes?”
She blinked at him, and furrowed her brow. “Yes, sir?”
“I asked you if you recalled anything strange happening before the explosion?”
Jo could feel her heart beating rapidly inside her chest. The explosion. The explosion…
(End of Sample)
