No new fiction this week. It’s been a super busy week/weekend, so I’m a little behind.
Instead, I recommend reading Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter! In addition to eBook or Physical Book, Troll’s Daughter is not available in audiobook!
Otherwise, I recommend catching up on The Cloak! There are 7 parts so far, so lots to read there! More updates on that coming soon. I’ll do a couple next weekend to make up for it, I promise!
Ladies and Gentlemen: Mark. Your. Calendars!
It’s shaping up to be a busy October/November! After so much focus on getting Innocent Vampire (and the Audiobook) prepared for release, there’s a few events coming up I wanna make everyone aware of!
I’ll be at Brown’s Harvest (in Windsor, CT) on October 24th and Booktopia (in Fairfield, CT) on October 25th!
You’ll also be able to find me at the Norwalk Author Celebration on November 7th! Come for excellent books, interesting panels, and lots of live author readings!
As I’m writing this, I agreed to head over to Two Brothers Cafe on Saturday, November 14th from 3-6 for their Holiday Bazaar! This will be the last in-person event before the release of Blanc LaBelle and the Innocent Vampire!
And last, but not least, we are having an actual release party for Blanc LaBelle and the Innocent Vampire! The good folks over at Klekolo World Coffee (in Middletown) are opening their doors so we can celebrate the release of Innocent Vampire in style on November 16th! More details on that to come, but set aside the evening of the 16th for as close to a midnight release as my Early Bird Brain will allow these days!
As always check the Event Page at the top of the site to get all the information and updates!
Did you miss signing up for my mailing list before the first LaBelle story came out? Don’t worry! As of right now, you’ll be sent the story directly when you sign up for my email list! In addition to exclusive stories, you’ll also start getting my biweekly (every two weeks) news letter called the Rose and Thorn where I cover the highs and lows of my current writing projects as well as updates on events and more!
Sign up today to get more of my writing sent right to your inbox!
It’s no secret that I love Tabletop RPGs. D&D, Monster of the Week, Kids on Bikes (and Brooms), even Honey Heist. One of the things I love about the Blanc LaBelle Universe is that it is so expansive and anyone can jump in where they feel comfortable! To that end, I made a quick RPG Guide for using the Blanc LaBelle Universe as a setting for your own games! I made a home game with a few of my other RPG friends and whipped together this as a framework.
Do you want to explore Fae Town? Want to find home in your own Magi Town? Or would you rather be a dragon living in a remote forest in the Above? The sky is the limit!
Tell me about your home games! Would you ever use Blanc LaBelle’s Universe as a setting for your game? What would you want to play as?
It’s no surprise that LaBelle has a complex history! From the beginnings of civilization, raiding with vikings, sailing with pirates, living among aristocrats and revolutionaries, serving as a soldier and a spy, LaBelle has seen a lot!
That history is coming back to haunt LaBelle in “Blanc LaBelle and the Innocent Vampire” when one of his old allies is accused of murder. But why should we care when we’re just barely beginning to learn about LaBelle?
Starting this Wednesday (10/7) I’ll be releasing a series of short stories from various points in LaBelle’s life! You’ll see who LaBelle was, but also some of who he knew. Keep your eyes peeled for familiar faces and friends yet to come!
Join my mailing list to get the stories delivered right to your inbox! You also get included in my biweekly (every two weeks) newsletter “The Rose and Thorn” where you’ll hear about the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens of an indie writer!
So, join the club! All the cool kids are doing it!
Hello everyone! Been a little while since it’s been “just us” without a story to bring us together! I hope we can still get along (if not, there’s a new fiction post coming tomorrow)!
I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about an exciting new addition to the Nicholas Westbrook Writing Universe (the NWWU, for those who prefer initials). I’ve felt like my mailing list has been a bit ignored recently, so I wanted to give anyone who signs up something kind of regular! After a lot of work on my social media, I came to the realization that big companies can just…pull the plug whenever they want, but they can’t take away my mailing list (ideally). So, I’m very happy to announce my Rose and Thorn Newsletter!
(“But what is the Rose and Thorn Newsletter?”)
Excellent question! The Rose and Thorn Newsletter will be a biweekly update (that’s every two weeks, not twice a week). It will include a Snapshot that will tell you what my current project’s working title is called, my word count (and/or pages edited), as well as recently attended and upcoming events! Additional, each issue will feature some recent thoughts in the form of Rose and Thorn. The Rose will be something good (a popular event, a personal milestone, or a creative thing that finally feels like it came to fruition). The Thorn will be something challenging to do with my writing experiences (something I’m struggling to make work, a project I need to put aside, or something I’ve been trying to work on).
It will share the highs and lows that come with being an indie author (because believe me, there’s a lot of both). But you’ll get to see how the sausage is made if you subscribe to the mailing list! Sign up below and join in on the future adventure!
The first one will be released Monday, September 14th, so sign up and be there for the beginning!
Hello everyone!
Unfortunately, no fiction post this week. The end of our last story caught up to me quicker than expected and I also had a busy week (between work, a wedding, and getting over a summer head cold). To that end, I’m going to take this week off from posting, but rest assured, there will be a fun project next week (starting Monday) that will be sure to make up for it!
Instead, I invite you to take some time today and catch up on some reading (either your own or some of my other fiction)! Exciting stuff coming this month, so stay tuned for what’s to come!
I wanted to take some time to announce a few events I’ll be partaking in over the summer!
June 13th: Books and Bites, The 1851 in Cromwell, CT
Pages for the Pantry, an event for the East Haddam Food Bank, Two Wrasslin’ Cats Cafe in East Hampton, CT.
July 18th: Christmas In July, Rule of 3 Brewing in East Hampton, CT.
July 26th: Signing Event at Worthwhile Reads Bookstore in Bristol, CT
August 8th: Witchmeadow Campground Scavanger Hunt Event in Salem, CT
That’s all I have right now, but there will be future updates!
My friend and I were talking about naming our characters and this seemed like a really good time to introduce the characters formally! You’ve met them in their stories and on the back of the book, but it’s time to formally introduce our gang by going a little bit further into the meanings of their names and
Mira:
The Half-Troll herself. The name “Mira” in the book is technically short for ‘Miracle’. Mira’s mother, Kaysar, called her “Little Miracle” growing up. The nickname stuck and (for me, at least) Mira felt like a good fit for our darling troll’s daughter. The name Miracle has meanings of “wonder” and “marvel” with roots in Latin. The name Mira, on it’s own, has several meanings including “peace”, “admirable” and “ocean”. I think, in the context of their use, the names fit Mira well. To her mother, she is a wonder. Among those she gets to know in the Above, like Matt and LaBelle, she is peaceful and admirable.
Matt:
Our curious, human guide to the strange and wild world of the Under beneath Hedgefield. The name Matt means “Gift of God” and is a fairly common name. I wanted a name that was pretty typical and I feel like most people know a Matt or two in their lives. From 1973-2008, Matthew broke the top ten most common boy names in the US, so it’s highly likely you know (and maybe even like) a Matt. Matt is very much the every man in the world of the Under as well, providing a grounding presence and someone to ask the “dumb” questions so you readers can keep up with the common knowledge to those of the Under!
Blanc LaBelle:
This was the name that came to me out of thin air, it seems. Before Matt, before Mira, the name Blanc LaBelle came to me in the throes of writing during 2020. For our context, “Blanc” refers more to “blank” which is what LaBelle wants to be. He wants to be a part of the background and unnoticed by the humans as he passes through the world. “LaBelle” in french means “The Beautiful”, though I’m not sure if LaBelle necessarily meant for the name to mean himself. Blanc LaBelle came to me and just felt like a perfect detective name. I added a twist of the fantastic and Private Eye Blanc LaBelle was born.
I hope you all enjoy meeting these characters in Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter, available everywhere on May 12th (and for preorder today)!
Do you know the meaning behind your name?
Nonfiction can be tough for people to get into. If you’re looking for something that isn’t just “War History” or “Biography”, these are some of my best recommendations for nonfiction.
