Tag: writing

Titles and Subtitles

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Greetings, everyone. I’m reposting my Monday Blog here.

This week’s topic: the importance of titles, and subtitles. Titles are meant to grab your reader’s attention, as well as give them some idea as to what the book is about. Then there are subtitles, particularly important if the book is part of a series. I believe they need to be equally as interesting as the title itself.

 

In the Valentine series, each book (except for the first) has a subtitle.  There’s The Patron Saint and Queen of Hearts. Book two’s subtitle refers to the nickname Val has been given, but is unaware of until later in the story (she’s referred to as the Patron Saint of the Weak).  Book three’s subtitle relates to Kelly McCormick’s codename for Val, the Queen of Hearts.  The current title for book four is War of the Saints, which will introduce some new characters whose roles are similar to Valentine’s. I am reconsidering the title, so it may change.

 

The subtitles in the Fortune’s Wing series are references to each journey he undertakes in the quest for the Wings. Second Flight, concerns the second journey he and his friends go on after Fortune completes the set of wings. The third and final installment, Final Flight, is a reference to exactly that: his final journey.

 

With Our Lady of Righteous Rage, I wanted a title that would stand out. OLORR has a punk, but almost Catholic High School sound to it, and I figured it would definitely grab people’s attention (and it has!).

FYI: an unusual tip I have picked up on as a reader, is if the title of the book is mentioned somewhere in the story, but not until close to the climax. It seems to add impact to the meaning of the title. Or, maybe that’s just me…

 

Naming your chapters can be tricky, but interesting. The titles of the chapters in OLORR are named after the character who narrates that particular chapter (pretty simple, yes?) The chapter titles in Allan and Mac are meant to be humorous: What’s in the Trunk?, A Good Pair of Pliers and Three’s A Crowd, to name a few.  The chapter titles in Valentine are a mixed bag: some of them are humorous, some of them are serious.  For example, “I’d Rather Ride Solo” or “Road Trip” is humorous, while “End Game” or “This Is What I Came For” is a little more serious.

 

The trouble with naming the chapter in a book that is part of a series, is consistency. If you decide to do this in the first book, you must do it in the other books as well. All of the Fortune’s Wing and Valentine books have chapters with titles, while the OLORR chapters are named after characters in the story. Because I have done this in the first two OLORR books, I need to keep it up as I write the third.

 

Coming up with a clever, catchy title isn’t always easy. If you’re having trouble coming up with a title for your book, or the chapters, think about what the book is really about. Consider what that particular chapter is about. Make a list of words or slogans that describe what is happening in the book or chapter itself. In Allan and Mac, the chapter, A Good Pair of Pliers is named after a line from the chapter.

 

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B-Fest Results

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Saturday was my very first book signing. The event took place at the Barnes and Noble at Bay Plaza in the Bronx. The store was kind enough to take a chance on a self-published author, and ordered 30 of my books. By the time my portion of the event was complete, 24 out of the 30 books were sold! Anyone who purchased a copy of Valentine, received a copy of Valentine 2 from me for free! It was so much fun meeting new people and making new connections, and I especially enjoyed meeting young writers. I’m looking forward to helping them get started in the self-publishing industry any way I can. Thank you again to everyone who came out to the Bronx, purchased a book, stopped by my table, or simply liked my posts online. There aren’t enough words to express what your support means to me.

Pictures from B-Fest will be posted on the Woolaston Entertainment Facebook page later today. I’m happy to announce, I have been invited to return to Bay Plaza for an upcoming event! Autographed copies of Valentine, Our Lady of Righteous Rage, and Our Lady of Righteous Rage: Extended and Uncensored are still available at Bay Plaza, or you can order unsigned copies online or through the store. Plus, you can always order copies of any of my books directly from me.

 

 

The Indie Author Who Could

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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.

Sneak Peek at “Black Queen; Killing Machine”

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I’m currently working on 3 manuscripts now, and I’d like to share a little sneak peek at the upcoming “Black Queen; Killing Machine”, another book in the “Valentine Apart” series, featuring Jo Fuentes, who I introduced in the third Valentine book. Enjoy!

 

Roger Plankman could feel the blood rushing to his head, as he dangled six flights up, over the side of the motel. Jo had a vice grip on his ankles, but every few seconds, she would lower him, then raise him again. He heard her groan, then he felt her tighten her grip even more. “He’s getting heavy, Kelly,” she whined.

            “I know, I know,” Kelly said. She put one foot up on the edge of the building, and leaned forward, with her hands resting upon her thigh. “What’s it going to be, Roger? Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or am I going to have to let Jo drop you?”

            “I don’t know anything!!” Roger insisted. “I swear!”

            Kelly rolled her eyes. “This is becoming very tiresome.”

            “Tell me about it,” Jo muttered.

            “So, you’re not going to cooperate?” Kelly asked.

            “I don’t know anything!” Roger declared.

            Kelly sighed heavily, stood up straight, and waved her hand. “Oh, just drop him,” she said.

            Jo shrugged, and release both of Roger’s ankles. He yelled as he plummeted towards the pavement below. He landed in a heap beside a dumpster. Jo leaned over the edge and looked down at him, and gasped. “Hey, look!” she said. “The fall didn’t kill him.”

            Kelly stood beside her and looked down at where Roger had fallen. She saw him move his head, and one of his hands tried to reach up, towards them. “Oh,” she said. She reached into her waist band, and pulled out her hand gun. Pointing it down at Roger, she fired a single shot, and struck the center of his chest. “Yes it did,” she said, flatly. “Let’s go.”

 

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Stream of Consciousness

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BookCoverPreview

 

Stream of Consciousness

This is a form of narration I have come to deeply appreciate. You can tell a story in first person or third person. Third person gives you a little more freedom in terms of getting into the minds of several different characters. First person, on the other hand, limits you to one character’s mind. That’s where stream of consciousness comes in handy. This allows the reader to enter the minds of several characters, seeing the events of the story unfold through various points of view. I was first introduced to this technique in high school, when I read William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. At first, I wondered if I would be able to keep track of the different characters, but after the first two or three chapters, I didn’t even think about it. I found myself just reading the book (the same thing happens to me when I watch a movie with subtitles: after a while, I just watch the movie and ignore the captions. But, I digress…).

 

Stream of Consciousness is also present in Keith Donohue’s The Stolen Child (a very good read, by the way. I highly recommend it). The story of what seems to be a single life, is told through two characters. That’s all I’m going to say; I won’t spoil it for you.

 

At times, SOC can be slightly confusing, if you’re not paying close attention. If there are too many characters speaking, there may be too many points of view for the reader to keep up with. Also, if other narrators are introduced much later in the story. Your reader may find himself or herself thinking, “Okay, who’s this guy? There’s the parents, the two kids, the teacher at school, the daughter’s best friend, the neighbor, the neighbor’s wife, and now three quarters into the story there’s another character speaking?”  In Our Lady of Righteous Rage, I introduced everyone early on, and didn’t add any additional narrators. It makes the story less confusing for the reader, and for me, the writer.

If you’re working on a first person narrative with more than one character, you may want to give SOC a try.

 

 

Black Queen: Killing Machine

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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)

 

Valentine 3 Notes

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If you’ve been keeping up with the series (and I hope you have!), then you know a lot has changed since I first introduced Val Entienne and company in 2010. What began as a story about a girl going on a road trip to rescue her father has evolved into something completely different. There are shoot-outs, and hit men, and a Syndicate full of crime bosses. We’re a long way from the road trip, folks.

What’s the theme of the Valentine series? Girls with guns? Violence? If that’s how you choose to look at it, I certainly can’t stop you. But those are not the themes I intended. Valentine, is about family. Our pink-haired heroine only wants to protect the people she loves. She beginning to learn about and understand the world she was basically born into. Valentine, is about the choices we make, and the choices that are made for us. It’s about how our past can shape our present, but ultimately, we can alter the course of our future.

Queen of Hearts picks up where The Patron Saint left off (warning: there may be spoilers here!). Val returns home, and the Entienne house is whole again. But, she’s unaware of the new dangers and new people who are about to enter her life. There’s Michael Aldus: a liaison for the Syndicate. And of course, there’s the Syndicate: the network of crime bosses, hit men, and criminals who work all across the country (and the world). This is the world Val became a part of, when her father started working for John Rafferty. As Val is about to discover, it may have started even earlier than that.

Queen of Hearts answers some questions from the previous books, and presents a few new ones as well. And the ending, will be the big shocker (of course, I won’t tell you here). I’ll be hosting a major giveaway on Goodreads.com at the end of the month, so I’ll keep you posted.

 

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