Tag: writing

Three in the Works

While I have five books planned for 2019, there are three I am currently working on, one of which I hope to have published by the beginning of March. I wanted to share an update on where I am in  those three books. 

Rock N Role Model

Amy and company have returned home from their first national tour, and are working on their next album. They come across a channel on YouTube, where a young fan post videos of her covers of songs. The funny thing is, she looks an awful lot like Amy. Amy decides she wants to meet this young fan, and when she does, she discovers they have a special connection, she never saw coming.

Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep

Jo Fuentes, the Marine turned hit woman, has earned a reputation within the Syndicate as one of the most dangerous hitmen around. She is the Black Queen. Jo has been having flashbacks of the training she underwent while working for the government, but now she wants to more about her past. Exactly what were they training her to do? After all, every soldier can’t kill eight people in under one minute. The deeper Jo digs, the uglier the truth becomes. She even discovers, she may be responsible for the destruction of an entire town.

The Witch of Fulton Lane: The Age of the Daughter

Dylan Maycriss has decided to forgo being a solitary witch, and is in the process of building a small coven, which includes her Aunt Cass, cousin Lilith, and her neighbor Josie. Josie, the newcomer, is learning all about Witchcraft, spell-casting and tarot card reading, while Dylan’s personal abilities seem to strengthen. This seems to be drawing some unwanted attention from members of a cult. At the center of the cult, is a teen girl, who claims she needs Dylan’s help. Dylan is trying to decipher if this girl’s pleas are genuine, and what the cult really wants with her. 

Rock N Role Model will be the first book for 2019, so stay tuned! 

 

woolastonentertainment.com

Old School Writing

Like many of my fellow writers here, I have a day job, which ties up much of my free time. My previous day job came with some useful perks: computers with Microsoft Word, internet access, and downtime, which gave me the freedom I needed to write. This current job, doesn’t have any of those perks. So, I try to make the most of my free time when I can, when it comes to writing.

Not having computer access during those eight to nine hour work days, is kind of a drag. But, I did manage to find a silver lining. I bought a fresh notebook, and when I had a quiet moment at work, I started working on a draft of Rock N Role Model, the next companion book in the Our Lady of Righteous Rage series. So far, I’ve written sixteen chapters and 132 pages. Considering that I work five days a week, and my commute to and from work is a bit time consuming, this is actually pretty good for me. Any progress is good progress.

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With Woolaston Entertainment’s 25th anniversary taking place this year, I’ve been reflecting on how W.E. came to be in the first place. Handwriting books for myself, is a major part of W.E.’s creation. It’s kind of nice to go back to that old-school method of working on a rough draft for one of my next books. I intend to complete this handwritten draft, before I begin typing anything. 

I hope you all have a progressive week. 

woolastonentertainment.com 

Be Inspired!!!!

With the coming of a new year, it’s time to set some goals, and work towards achieving them. I’m not crazy about making resolutions for New Years, but I do like to set a few goals for myself. For example:

Publish 5 new books:

If I stick to my plan, I can actually pull this one off. Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep, Rock N Role Model, The Witch of Fulton Lane: The Age of the Daughter, Rise, Resist Reform are my first four. With December 2019 marking Woolaston Entertainment’s 25th anniversary, I will definitely put a special book together. So, I at least have 5 books in the works. 

Gain New Readers:

It’s simple. I’m a writer who publishes books. I want people to read those books. I need to put some books in the hands of new readers. I’ll be focusing more on marketing this year. 

take the things you enjoy and let them inspire your writing

Use What Inspires Me and Share It:

I find inspiration through music, my guitars, TV shows and movies, and books. I’ll be sharing more of what inspires me with all of you, and I hope you’ll do the same. Plus, I intend to use more of the things that inspire me,in my writing. Right now, I’m in a musical frame of mind: I’ve been listening to songs I haven’t heard in a while, I’m currently reading Ian Winwood’s Smash! Green Day, the Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the ’90s Punk Explosion. On top of that, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is writing new music, which is very exciting to this Green Day fan! This has inspired me to work on Rock N Role Model, the next Our Lady companion book.  The Winter Solstice and a love of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures has given me some fresh ideas for The Age of the Daughter, so I’m ready to work on that book again. 

I believe you should take the things you enjoy and let them inspire your writing. They can be very useful, especially when you find yourself feeling stuck in your work. 

Be inspired, people!

Goodbye, 2018!

This is it, folks. December 31, 2018. The last day of the year. While 2018 was a pretty good year, I’m ready to wave goodbye to it, and say hello to 2019. 

A lot of things happened this year. There were wildfires, mass shootings, and the third government shut-down under Trump’s presidency. At the same time, a spacecraft successfully landed on Mars, all of the Thai boys who were trapped inside a cave were rescued, and Congress became a bit more diverse (Native Americans and Muslims were elected).  There were high’s and low’s. 

My inner nerd has to mention, it was a great year for Marvel movies: Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. And Venom. I can’t leave that one out. 

On a personal note, I managed to do two things I sincerely wanted to do: publish 5 new books by the end of the year, and move out of New York. I figured I’d probably pull the first one off, but the second one felt like a pipe dream. But, I did it. 

With 2018 coming to a close, it’s time to reflect on what went right and what went wrong. Did you make any resolutions? If so, did you accomplish them? I certainly hope so.I hope 2018 was good to all of you, and I hope 2019 will be even better. 

Because I Just Can’t Turn My Brain Off

December is drawing to a close, and so is the year 2018. Around this time of year, I begin to wrap things up. I finish whatever book I’m currently reading, see if I reached my Reading  Goal on Goodreads, and try to relax my mind. Well, those are my intentions. However, as most creative types will agree, it’s hard to just let your mind relax. I just can’t seem to turn my brain off.

notebook
My December 2017-December 2018 notebook

 

I keep a notebook full of notes and outlines for books with me at all times. Every year, I buy a composition notebook, create a series of tabs for it, and write. Around December, I buy a notebook for the upcoming year, but I tell myself I’m not going to touch it until January. I’m bot going to start any new books or projects until January. This is what I tell myself. Then, my brain gets to work, and before I know it, I’ve come up with two or three solid ideas for new books (two or three solid, out of about fifteen that I just put aside). 

I’ve come to accept that creativity does not run on a schedule. It just…happens. You can’t flip it on and off like a light switch. But, maybe that’s a good thing. If I could just switch my brain off for awhile, I’d probably miss out on some really great ideas. While I wasn’t planning to start any new drafts for books until January, my ideas for Rock N Role Model kept pushing their way to the surface, so I broke down and wrote four pages for the first chapter. So, I’m going to forget the break, and just keep on writing. 🙂