Tag: Personal

Looking Ahead!

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!

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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!

Stay in the Know!

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!

Blanc LaBelle and the TTRPG

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!

Blanc LaBelle RPG GuideDownload

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?

An exciting new addition!

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!

The Story of the Story

Today, I wanted to share the surprising history behind Blanc LaBelle. It’s been quite a journey and it seems fair to share it with all of you in the wee hours (yes hours!) before the release.

This book started back in 2020 (the world’s most uneventful year). At that time, I was focused on self-publishing my collection of novellas. It was an experiment for me, trying to figure out how this whole self-publishing thing worked. It was a fun experience and I had an absolute blast leading up to it! Found Mysteries was published on May 29, 2020.

Then, came the wait. Like I said, it was 2020 and I wasn’t working at the time, so I couldn’t really do much beyond sit and wait. I was checking the various places for reviews and it became an obsession. I knew I needed something to occupy my time or I was gonna go bonkers waiting.

A few days earlier, on May 12, 2020, I had written a silly little story about a half-troll in a yellow raincoat needing help with an escape. I liked the character a lot and wanted to explore more of her story. If you’ve read the Chapter 1 Sneak Preview (or even the Blog Snippet), you can probably guess where her story ended up going.

While most folks were making sourdough or picking up a new hobby, but Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter became my focus. Then, the following books became my focus. It was something to fill the hours and became my main focus in the final hours of my Seattle chapter of life.

I moved back to Connecticut in September of 2020. I have vivid memories of working on these books while flying on the plane wearing an N95 mask. What started on one coast, ended over the other. I finished the first draft of the complete series in my parent’s house between looking for a job. I was starting to shop it around, but that quickly got eclipsed by the rush of life. Eventually, it moved to the back burner.

The decision to finally pull the trigger came in therapy. I had been talking about the joy I felt at releasing my first book and I realized that was when I was truly happy. It was something that was made with my own hands and doing it again made me excited. So, I did.

I found a few friends with various skills (people from college, Seattle, online, wherever I could find them). I got a team together and we went through the process of building my Covid Baby.

Now, we’re sitting on the eve of the release and it feels so surreal. It’s such a joy to be able to finally set my story free into the world. Mira, LaBelle, Matt, and so many others are going to catch a lot of attention and so much excitement. I hope you all enjoy this world I created and the characters I created. They’ve been with me for 6 years now (May 12, 2020 to May 12th, 2026) and I can’t wait for you to explore it all!

Thanks for everyone who worked with me on this project, pre-ordered the book, or just listened to me while I was excited about the release (you know who you are). The journey is just beginning, but this is everything it took to get to the starting line alone. See you all in the Under!

Fantastic Nonfiction

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.

  • Tiger – John Vaillant
    This is the story of a man eating tiger in Eastern Russia. That is an oversimplification and barely scratches the surface of what this book contains. It is an epic adventure from the initial deaths to the hunt to the ultimate conclusion. It is a story about a hunt to the death, a tracker and prey. The book breaks down the progression smoothly and reads more like a novel than a recounting of a historical event.
  • Physics of the Impossible – Michio Kaku
    As a science fiction enthusiast, I love looking at the big science topics and wondering how plausible they would be. Kaku is a master of this, breaking down the ideas into pieces and asking how close we are. Whether it’s hover cars or time travel, Kaku is very good at breaking the concepts and physics down into something understandable and ultimately deciding how likely it is to be in our future. Whether it’s a few years away or requires a major re-understanding of our laws of physics, this puts expectations into clear categories without being a buzzkill.
  • Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
    When I was in college, we read this one as part of a Intro to Psychology course. Since reading it, I’ve always felt that Gladwell is one of the best nonfiction writers out there. Taking seemingly unconnected examples and connects them with not only solid facts and research, but a very clear connective theme. This book is a great example of that, finding patterns and connections of all the “greats” in whatever their field is. It almost feels like one of those “productivity hack” suggestion, but it truly changes how I viewed “excellence”.
  • Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel – Carl Safina
    As someone who works with animals, the connection between humans and animals has always been something that fascinates me. Our idea of intelligence, empathy, and understanding are all often measured against human performance to determine how “smart” an animal is. But we’re just beginning to understand how animals think and this book is a wonderful exploration of that field!
  • Elephant Company – Vicki Constantine Croke
    This is probably my number one recommendation when it comes to nonfiction. It’s about an elephant logging company in Burma during WWII. There were elements of war history, biography, and animal adventure, but written in a way that was more of a story. Even my mom, who doesn’t read much, thought this was a good read! I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys adventure, history, animals animals and the connections we have to them!

My Favorite Books That Are Nothing Like My Book!

To say “There are so many great books out there!” feels like an understatement! What feels more accurate to say is that there are so many different types of books out there! Last time, I went through some of my favorite “Hidden World” books, but this time around, I decided to talk about my favorite books with plots that are nothing like Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter! Consider this my official recommendation for things to read while you’re waiting for the release on May 12th!

  • Old Man’s War – John Scalzi:
    This one always sticks out to me when the person who recommended it to me described it as “The only war book to make me cry”. I feel that it holds very true, but it’s also just very well written and smart science fiction. John Scalzi sticks out as one of my favorite science fiction authors because in addition to being scientifically sound (if you’re willing to stretch your belief a little), he also writes very funny books! The whole series is great, but Old Man’s War sticks out to me because it was so different from anything else I’d read!
  • The Princess Bride – William Goldman
    Both a favorite book and my all time favorite movie (and yes, I know they’re very different). This was actually a book that the librarian would read aloud to classes when I was in elementary school (I feel like it was…5th grade we got to read this one?). There’s a lot of positive memories in the words of this classic fantasy. Whether you believe in “mawage” or if you’re more a fan of “The Zoo of Death”, this is definitely one I recommend over and over again.
  • Tigana – Guy Gavriel Kay
    This one is the book I say is my “favorite” when people ask. The way that’s written is so smooth and lyrical. Despite being a fantasy book, it’s also very heavily a political intrigue. Stories like that very rarely catch my interest, but the way this book was written really spoke to me. The magic system was so vivid and the characters are so interesting even when they divert into their separate arcs.
  • Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
    This one I put on the list because it’s so hard to describe in a simple way. I read this one a while back and it stuck with me for having such an original form. Each section is written so differently and yet they all connect so smoothly. David Mitchell is one of the most unique writers I’ve encountered and I think this is a great introduction to his style.
  • Andy Weir – Project Hail Mary
    Before anyone says it, I know there’s a movie, but I have not seen it yet. Andy Weir really sticks out to me as an author because I feel like he’s one of the few science fiction writers that forces a “suspension of belief” when discussing real-world science. His interpretation of alien life in this story is far and away (pun intended) some of the most interesting descriptions of extraterrestrials. In addition to being good science fiction, it’s an incredible story about two “best friends” and a real “found family” story by the end.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favorites that you always recommend to people?

Consider adding these to your TBR!

What did I miss?

Hey everyone.

Did you miss me? It’s been a while (December? Yikes!), but I’m glad to be back. Thought I would offer up a quick update and plans for the future going forward.

First of all, I finished my classes! I’m now a Certified Vet Assistant and my office has been taking full advantage of that. I’ve been trying to shift back into “civilian life” after months of double dipping into both school and work. It was a heavy time, but I managed to get through it! This is good for two reasons: 1) I no longer regularly work/go to class from 8 to 8 three times a week with full schedule on the other days. This will be a massive improvement to my social/sleep schedule as I’ll be able to actually do things beyond work or school work.
2) I’ll be able to get back into my writing!

I’m stretching some old muscles and blow off the dust from a few old projects. I’m starting to feel my creative impulses return and I’m feeling better about the things I create. My day job is one I can easily leave at the office, so I’m going to be able to put more of my time and energy back into creative projects. What does that mean? I’m not sure yet. But the absolute base means that I’ll be trying to get to posting Writing Scribbles!

I’m glad to be back and I’ve had a good long rest to recover from school, but now it’s time to get back to what I want out of life. The exact definition of that is yet to be known, but I’m looking forward to the ride.

A Brief Pause

Hello Everyone! As we come creeping up on the holidays, I’ve decided to take a brief break from the usual monthly fiction posts.

Those closest to me know that I’m currently in classes to get my Veterinary Assistant Certification. This, on top of my regular, full-time work schedule and the normal rush of the holidays has started to take a toll on me.

When I have more energy again, I’ll be coming back. For now? I’m deciding to prioritize my time and maintain some of my energy for other things. I’ll be back to the old routines soon, but these 50+ hour weeks are starting to stack up.

In short, I’ll be back. Thanks for staying and looking forward to what the future holds!