We celebrated Copyright Day on 23rd April, but what does it actually mean?
Copyrights are an important part of securing your work against a number of things, such as plagiarism. It allows you to take legal action against anybody, who has copied or reproduced your work without consent. It is a lifetime protection, although generally, copyrights last for the life of the author, or the remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and then for 70 years following the end of that calendar year.
So why copyright?
1. It’s beneficial to have your work on record when you register
Registering your book with the copyright office provides you exclusive rights.
2. It prevents others from copying your work
Copyrighting your book legally protects you if someone tries to steal ideas, characters, plot, or any likeness from your work.
3. You cannot sue for copyright infringement unless your book is registered
If someone does steal from you, you cannot do anything about it unless you registered your book.
4. You can produce derivative content related to your copyrighted book
Since you own the rights to your characters, story, and anything unique to your work, you have the freedom to produce more content related to it.
5. Your work can be performed or displayed publicly
If you apply for copyright, you have the freedom to use your book in any public way you wish since you own it. You don’t have to worry about someone else using your work in a public way without your permission.
In the definition literary works include books, anthologies, journal and newspaper articles, reports, conference papers, working papers, computer software and programs, letters, emails, novels, poetry, song lyrics, databases, tables and compilations.
So in essence all your writing is covered under copyright.
If you are unsure investigate with your publisher or the platform you are publishing with.
There are several celebratory days this week! So let’s get started.
2nd May – Harry Potter Day (May 2 was the day of the Battle of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series) This series is a global phenomenon not only with the books but the movies as well.
4th – 10th May – Children’s Book Week (also celebrated in November) You might know I have written a couple of children’s books.
4th May – Intergalactic Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth be with you.”) Once again these movies are of global recognition and there are numerous memes celebrating the Fourth.
My favourite is Darth Vader – you might say bad boy vibes!
Whose is your favourite character in the movies?
6th May – Free Comic Book Day
I was not allowed comics when I was young, so I would always grab my friends comics when I was playing at their houses. They were a novelty for me.
Today there are multiple movies highlighting many of the characters first created in comics. And there doesn’t seem to be an end to them either.
In today’s market good quality issues can fetch remarkable amounts of money! Such as Amazing Fantasy (1961) No 15 is valued at $355,000. So, if you hoarded old comics best go and look now.
There is always a lot of organization and planning behind any writing conference, and this weekend’s conference is no exception. A committed voluntary Board has secured elite presenters for this Saturday’s conference in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
From initial concept to title and theme, to the booking of a venue, and finding presenters and then promotion, there is a lot of time spent creating the event.
Any writer, or author, is welcome to gain valuable information, and network.
We all know the importance of reading to our children. Not only does it build a parental connection with them and give them their first introduction into letters and words, but also how they can become part of a story’s characters world with their imagination. In a world flooded with visual images and games that do the work for them, a book is a treasure for their mind. This week we celebrate: National Tell a Story Day on 27th April.
Can you remember the first story you fell in love with?
I loved Hiawatha, Wind in the Willows, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
We also celebrate this week the end of poetry month with Poem in Your Pocket Day on 30th April.
As many of you know poetry isn’t my thing, however I do indulge on occasion and have submitted a couple for my writing groups annual poetry challenge this year. If my poems are approved they will be included in an anthology later this year.
Do you have a favourite poem?
When I was young I remember my mother reciting these two. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear and Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. When I grew older this one was recited in my English class. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth.
Where did the initial idea for the Cat Lady series originate?
The initial idea for Cat Lady actually came during a 5 hour-drive. I was coming home from a romance convention and somehow the idea that I needed a romance book hit me. Most of the books I had at the time were Urban Fantasy or Children’s books. As I drove back, I play with the tropes that I enjoy the most in romance, like second chances. The problem I found out was, I was not very good at writing romance. Instead, I ended up with a dark comedy- contemporary fiction story full of shenanigans and amazing quirky characters.
Was it always going to be a series?
At the beginning, I was just excited about The Cat Lady Special. It wasn’t until I published the book that the idea of a series came to mind. I enjoy writing series, so this wasn’t a hard choice for me.
Did you base the character of Angela on anyone you know or were you inspired by a movie/book character?
Angela is not based on one specific person. She is more of a collection of anecdotes from my friends and my life. Her story is all about sacrifices- what are you willing to do for the people you love?
Why Cat Lady?
I think there is a very negative perception of what a Cat Lady looks like or even acts like. One thing I wanted to do was challenge that idea and twisted around. What if our dear Cat Lady turns to be an Arms Dealer? That concept just made me smile and open the series to so much possibility.
With guns being a divisive subject, how do you balance your gun’s dealer character with societal views?
This is one of things Angela also battles in the series. She doesn’t want guns ending in the wrong hands and killing innocent people. She also understands that selling guns is a very lucrative business, that even Walmart has maximized. As much as possible, she works hard at vetting her clients to maintain the knowledge of where her guns are going.
Will there be other books in the series, if so, how many?
At this time I’m planning for at least one more book. Not sure how many more will happen afterwards. Normally, I’m pretty sure how many books there will be in every series. For this one, I’m letting the characters lead me and see where they want to go.
How much research did you need for the narrative background?
While I’m an Army Veteran, I do not have a strong background on the different weapons available. In order to give Angela a believable back story, I have to do tons of researching on weapons, ammunition’s and even distribution types.
Did you fall into any research black holes?
At the beginning I used to. One tip one of my writer friends gave me was to do just-in-time research. Which means, stop to do the research for the specific scene that I’m working on. If not, I will get nothing done.
What surprised you about Angela and her lifestyle as you wrote the two books?
My biggest surprised with Angela was seeing how happy she was with the simple things in life. She was not interested in a mansion, trips, or fancy clothes. Her primary goal was to take care of the people she loves. As I get older, I’m always blown away by how true that is for many of us.
Where can readers find you?
The easiest place would be on my website at dcgomez-author.com. You can find links to my books and social media.
SUMMARY:
Illegal guns. Dangerous old-ladies. Now a dead body. Angela’s life is getting more complicated by the minute.
A boring life is not in Angela’s future, with her being a black market guns dealer. Tripping over a dead-body is now bringing a lot more attention from law enforcement than she cares to have.
If only she could get control of the Silver Hair Gang, and their quest to find the killer themselves. Angela is running out of time to secure her next arms deal, and save her family from an unknown killer.
D. C. Gomez is an award-winning USA Today Bestselling Author, podcaster, motivational speaker, and coach. Born in the Dominican Republic, she grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. D. C. studied film and television at New York University. After college she joined the US Army, and proudly served for four years.
D. C. has a Master’s Degree in Science Administration from the Central Michigan University, as well as a Master in Adult Education from Texas A&M- Texarkana University. She is a certified John Maxwell Team speaker and coach, and a certified meditation instructor from the Chopra Center.
One of D. C. passions is helping those around her overcome their self-limiting beliefs. She writes both non-fiction and fiction books, ranging from Urban Fantasy to Children’s Books. To learn more about her books and her passion, you can find her at www.dcgomez-author.com.
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