Tag: writing

Monday Blog: Woolaston Entertainment Turns 23!

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23rd Bday Collage 23

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…

vv1994
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

2012: W.E. becomes an adult and turns 18!

2013: I publish Valentine on Jukepop Serials

2014: W.E. turns 20!

2015: I discover Create Space and republish a few titles; 6 W.E. books are published, including Our Lady of Righteous Rage, W.E. books sold at Brooklyn Expo, interview with Self Publisher’s Showcase, here: http://selfpublishersshowcase.com/interview-nicole-e-woolaston-author-of-our-lady-of-righteous-rage/

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

WOFL_FinalCover
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!

Looking Ahead: Woolent Turning 25

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20yearcollage
Collage from W.E.’s 20th Birthday

 

December 2017 marks Woolaston Entertainment’s 23rd birthday. While I am excited to celebrate the anniversary of the wonderful thing I created back when I was twelve, I’m even more excited at the prospect of Woolent turning 25, in 2019. In fact, I’m already working on the birthday present.

Before I was a published author, I hand-wrote several (okay, 125 or more) books for myself. I have been publishing them one by one, over the past few years, beginning with Fortune’s Wing.  Every other year or so, I would write a Compendium, which would summarize and explain all of the books, comics and artwork I had produced for the year (or years, depending). This is what I would like to do for Woolent’s 25th birthday: release a compendium, which will cover all of my books, comics and artwork, from the handwritten materials to the published works. In order to accomplish this, I literally need to get started now. Fortunately, I have my previous compendiums from 1998 through 2007 to fall back on, along with the one I started gathering materials and making notes for just a few years ago. This book will contain illustrations, and background info about Woolent, and everything I will have created up until that year. It’s going to be very interesting. 

If you’ve published a number of books or artwork, etc, a writing a compendium may be something you’ll want to consider. You really don’t know how much you’ve created, or how special it is to you, until you begin to archive it.

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

Yes, I Changed This Site

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With another book nearing completion, I find myself with more time on my hands than I would care for. I’m so used to working on a book, that when I finish one, it’s time for a much needed (but not wanted) break. So, here I am, with nothing better to do than play around with my Word Press site…again. If you’ve been keeping up with me, you may have noticed I have changed the background color several times over the past two weeks. Today, I changed the entire theme. I’m happy with it…for now. We’ll see. 

 

http://www.woolastonentertainment.com

The Witch of Fulton Lane

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WOFL_whole_cover

 

One good thing has come out of this year’s NaNoWriMo for me. I actually managed to finish a book!  I had the idea for The Witch of Fulton Lane floating around in my head for several months before I sat down to commit it to paper. Yesterday, I completed the first draft. Now I’m editing and adding a few more details. While I continue to work on the manuscript itself, I decided to go ahead and work on the cover. The image featured above, is what the cover currently looks like. I may or may not change it. We’ll see. 

punc·tu·a·tion and gram·mar

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Let me begin by saying, I don’t have a Masters in English Literature or Creative Writing. I have never labeled myself an “expert” when it comes to writing, however, I know the difference between good grammar, and poor grammar. I’m also capable of identifying the misuse of punctuation. I’ve been reading the work of other writers lately–mostly self-published authors like myself—and I’ve come across a few things I feel I need to point out. I’m not going to name any names or books, but if you catch yourself doing any of the things I mention here, you may want to go back and do a bit of editing. 

Dialogue

Dialogue should be enclosed with quotation marks, like this: “It’s not a problem,” she said. You shouldn’t use an apostrophe, ex: ‘It’s not a problem’ she said. Also, you shouldn’t use parentheses , ex: (It’s not a problem) she said.  And please, don’t use double parentheses, either! Ex: ((It’s not a problem)) she said. 

I’m mentioning these, because I actually came across all of these problems in books I have recently read. 

There, Their, They’re…

Using the wrong word, or using a word in the wrong tense can be a problem. As a writer, I always keep certain tools handy: a dictionary, a thesaurus, and Google. I have come to appreciate all three, especially the speech function for Google. If I’m not entirely sure how to spell a word, or which tense to use it in, I can always read the sentence out loud, and let Google help me. Plus, I’m still a fan of the old fashioned method of flipping through the pages of a dictionary or thesaurus. 

 

I’m not trying to pick on anyone, but as a writer, the misuse of punctuation and grammar, are two things I take very seriously. I’m a self-published author, so I have to be very mindful of the writing I publish. I don’t have an editor to help me catch my mistakes; I have to do it all on my own. Whenever I read a piece of writing that was self-published, and contains several errors such as the ones mentioned above, it adds to the belief that “self published books are not real books”. There are many people who are against self-publishing, because pretty much ANYONE can publish a book now. The quality of these books can be incredible, but there are books which are seriously lacking the attention to editing every book needs. If you see any of the things I mentioned in your writing, please go back and fix it. If you have allowed someone else to help you edit your work and it still contains these kinds of mistakes, it may be time to look for another editor. edit

Monday Blog: NaNoWriMo 2017

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NaNoWriMo

 

Welcome to the first Monday Blog for the month of November! November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. This is the month writers push themselves to finish their current project. Some writers are concerned  with the number of words their novel contains, while others focus on pages or chapters. Generally, I don’t focus on words. While I try to write a lengthy book, I also know when its time to stop. I don’t know about you, but I become bored very easily with a story which contains too much “filler”. The goal of good writing, should be telling the story. You don’t want the story to move too quickly, however, you don’t want to drag it out, either. I’m currently working on The Witch of Fulton Lane, ​and I already know I need to go back to the earlier chapters and add more details.

​If you want to visit the NaNoWriMo website, here is a link: https://nanowrimo.org/.  Their website helps you track your progress , and provides tips and support.

I’m going to track my word-count for The Witch of Fulton Lane on the top of the Woolaston Entertainment website homepage. My goal is 50, 000 words or more.

Until next week…

Monday Blog: Recommended Reading; NaNoWriMo 2017

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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/

See you next month!!

 

Expand Your Readership With The Public Library!

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SELF-e_Logo_Web

 

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!

Monday Blog: Symbols and Witchcraft in “The Witch of Fulton Lane”

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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.

Next week: Erin’s Emo Playlist!

Valentine in Queens Public Library

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Valentine_QueensLib

 

This is pretty big for me: 2 of my ebooks are available on Queens Public Library’s website! So, if you have a QPL card, you can borrow 2 of my ebooks!! How cool is that! Here’s a link: http://www.queenslibrary.org/search/apachesolr_search/nicole%20woolaston?filters=tm_a:nicole%20AND%20tm_a:woolaston

I’m working on adding more titles to their collection, but to have 2 so far, ain’t half bad!

woolastonentertainment.com