Happy Holidays, everyone! Welcome to the final blog post for 2017! I hope everyone enjoys their holiday. With 2017 coming to a close, it’s time to look ahead to 2018. But first, what happened to W.E. in 2017? I published more books this year than ever before. I’m having a comic published in my high school’s newspaper, The Bear Facts (from Bethel High in Virginia). I created a brand new story, The Witch of Fulton Lane. And, I’ve managed to use my writing to fund this website. All in all, I’d say 2017 was a great year for W.E.
Jon and Olivia comic
The year 2018 is right around the corner. When January hits, I’m going into “beast mode”. My goal is to place more W.E. books in the hands of more readers, and start picking up some online reviews. I have plans to start a book club, which would start out with W.E. books, but would eventually expand. Our Lady of Righteous Rage is coming back, along with a side story, Dee Seybrook: Rock n’ Roll Diva. I’d also like to dive deeper into the life of Valentine’s Jo Fuentes, by giving her another stand-alone book. Plus, merchandise! Next year, there will be some merchandise (other than the books) available on woolastonentertainment.com. Calendars, posters, etc.
OLORR album cover
2017 was great, but I know 2018 will be even better. I’ll see you on the other side!
Sorry about the late post, everyone! But, here we go: Monday Blog, on a Tuesday. This week, I wanted to take another trip into W.E.’s past, and share a little info about a book I wrote about fifteen years ago, which later turned into one of the best books I’ve published. That book is From Here to There. This is the story of Amy Edwards and her friends, and their final year in high school. It is a hand-written book, one I never expected to publish. Years later, in 2015, I took a look at the story, did some extensive editing, and wrote the manuscript for Our Lady of Righteous Rage, and published it.
While Our Lady turned out to be a pretty decent book, I decided there was more I could have done with the story. For example, this version, along with From Here, didn’t contain any profanity. I considered using profanity while writing the book, but changed my mind. After Our Lady became available to the public, I re-read it, and decided to add profanity after all. Personally, I think it works for this story, There have been several debates between writers about the use of profanity in writing. Some say, don’t use it. I say, if it works for your story or dialogue, go for it. I’m not saying, every other word in your book should be f-this and f-that, but sometimes, it does work. It depends on your audience. Our Lady of Righteous Rage: Extended and Uncensored, does contain some profanity, but its not excessive.
While the story may have changed between the original and the current versions, the theme has remained the same: kids coming of age in high school. I’d like to put together a book which would contain the original versions of all of my stories, giving readers a chance to contrast and compare, or just to see where my younger mind was , all those years ago. We’ll see.
At long last, December has arrived. December is one of my favorite months, because of several reasons: Christmas, snow, time off from work, my birthday…and most importantly, Woolaston Entertainment’s birthday! This year, Woolent is turning 23. Yes…23. There are a few milestones that took place this year, but, before I get to them, let’s go back to the beginning…
Vanessa Vance, W/E/’s first character
Summer, 1994
I started watching Sailor Moon on UPN, in Hampton, Va. I made sketches of the characters I had been visualizing for months. The first one to come to life on paper, was a black cat named Vanessa. From there, I began writing furiously and drawing during every spare moment I could find. I started drawing comics and writing my own books. Little did I know, 23 years later, all of that creativity would pay off. Watching anime and reading mangas, writing books and drawing comics, would lead to a series of paintings, learning to play the guitar, and publishing 19 books. No matter how far Woolaston Entertainment goes or how old it gets, I always attribute everything to Summer 1994, when everything got started.
Milestones
W.E. may have been born in 1994, but things REALLY kicked off in 2009, with Fortune’s Wing. But let’s go through the years, as I can remember them:
1994: W.E. is born!
1997: Enos, W.E.’s first series/comic is created
1999: first short story publication in Polaris Literary Art Magazine
2000: my artwork is published in Polaris Literary Art Magazine
2002: Fortune’s Wing is written
2005: my first attempt at teaching myself to play guitar (a failure which later inspires creation of Our Lady)
2009: Fortune’s Wing is published
2010: Valentine is published
2011: Fortune’s Wing: Second Flight is published; first 2 W.E. books featured at A.L.A. convention in Washington, DC
2016: First book signing at Barnes and Noble, 2 W.E. books available via Hampton and Norfolk public libraries (this may have occurred in 2015, but this is when I can remember discovering this for myself!)
2017: Jon and Olivia comic featured in Bear Facts newspaper, published 19th book, The Witch of Fulton Lane, 2 W.E. books available via Queens Public Library, W.E.’s website becomes self-sustaining
The Witch of Fulton Lane
The Witch of Fulton Lane
My first paranormal book is finally available for sale! You can purchase a copy from Create Space’s website, or Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1979849943/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511630272&sr=8-1&keywords=witch+of+fulton+lane It’s currently in the form of a paperback. I will release the ebook within a month or so. This is the first W.E. book outside of the current four series I previously published, so I hope you enjoy it!
The Monday Blog entries for this month will all be related to W.E.’s 23rd birthday. So, here’s to 23 years of writing and creating!
Here we are: the final Monday Blog post for the month of October. I decided to end “Emo Month” with a few recommendations for books, and a reminder that NaNoWriMo 2017 is coming! Here we go…
Recommended Reading
These are books I have read, or am currently reading. To me, they are either emo-related, or goth-related, or punk (let’s throw grunge into that category, while we’re at it).
Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo by Andy Greenwald. This one is loaded with interesting information, interviews, and song and band references.
Please Kill Me: The Uncenseored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain . TONS of interviews from Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, the Ramones, etc.
The Goth Bible: A Compenduim for the Darkly Inclined by Nancy Kilpatrick. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about being a Goth.
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm . Plenty of interviews with the musicians who started the grunge movement, including Chris Cornell.
Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture by Leslie Simon. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about being Emo.
If you have any recommendations you’d like to share, hit me up on Twitter: @NicoleWoolent
NaNoWriMo 2017
Next month is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, for those who don’t know. This is the time of year when writers kick everything into high gear, and do their best to finish that novel they started back in January (or February, or whenever…). My novel to complete, is The Witch of Fulton Lane. Some writers obsess over the number of words they write. I’m planning to keep track of the number of words for my current book, but if I don’t meet my goal, I’m good with that. The important thing, is FINISHING the book. That’s my goal. If you would like to join the NaNo community, here is a link to their website: https://nanowrimo.org/
I wanted to share some info with my fellow indie authors. Self-e, is a terrific program, which helps authors connect with new readers, by making their books available through the public library. I have had success with this system, and two of my titles are currently available as ebooks through the Queens Public Library, in New York. So, if you’re an indie author, and you have published an ebook, you may want to consider using this program. Here is a direct link to their website: https://selfe.librariescreate.com/self-e/
FYI: you will need to fill out a short form, which includes agreeing to their terms and conditions, entering your name, email, state and name of your local library, and uploading a copy of your ebook (ex, PDF), and info about the book (ISBN, etc). Best of luck to everyone!
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.
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the Monday Blog. This week I wanted to share some of the books I read over the Summer.
Just Another Girl’s Story: A Memoir on Finding Redemption by Laura Eckert
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has a bold and amazing voice, and I appreciate the fact that she doesn’t make excuses for the mistakes she made. Instead, she OWNS them. This is a very courageous story of how a person can make mistakes in their youth, but they can learn from them and turn their life around for the better. It’s an encouraging story for anyone facing difficulties, such as addiction.
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad
Since I’m into punk, I really enjoyed this one. There is a ton of background information about some of the earlier punk rock bands, such as Black Flag, The Minutemen, and Husker Du . It was interesting to read all about the early 1990’s DIY scene. If you’ve read Please Kill Me, you’ll definitely love this book.
Cursed Legacy (Aeterna Chronicles #1) by Anna K Lane
I’m a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, and this book has a great story and likeable characters. A seventeen-year-old boy living on the planet Levitor takes a simulated test in order to earn a position in the “Control Center”. However, something goes wrong during the test, which sets off a series of events, and leads him to wonder about his past and his true identity.
I’ve read other books, too, but these three really stood out this summer.
Next week, I’ll discuss the importance of mentorship, and Valentine 5.
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