I must have these or die...DIIIIIIIIE!!

So, it's time for another round of HOLY CRAP, I WANT THESE T-SHIRTS. Thanks to Snorg Tees for feeding the beast:

And in obvious news, it is freaking cold out, haha

So, yeah. It's crazy, butt-ass cold outside, you guys. Here in Cleveland, the weather has been in the single digits during the nights. Yeah, yeah--I know some of you are gonna come on here and say, "OMG you think that's cold? It's negative 300,000 degrees here in Ishatatimbucktuvilleland...beat that!" Okay, no, I can't, but this is cold enough for me, thankyaverramuch.

Anyway, when it's this bitter freezing out, I generally turn into a homebody. I get a fire in my super-awesome fireplace going, relax inside on my big fat comfy couch and write, or edit, or read, or watch movies. Lately I've been on an historical kick--I've been watching movies and reading books in all kinds of eras: Western, Roman/gladiator, regency, victorian, baroque, etc.

Honestly, I'd love to write a juicy romantic historical novel, ripe with angst and drama and lush settings. The only thing holding me back is fear that I can't pull it off.

But why do I talk myself out of something before I've even tried? The story I'm writing is so far away from anything else I've written before (very, VERRA dark and twisted), and yet I'm giving myself permission to Just. Write. The. Story.

So, why not? Why not take advantage of the cold weather, hole up inside, and write my little fingers off? Why not dare all, risk all, try something new? If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But I firmly believe no writing effort is ever wasted. Every story, every bit I do teaches me more about myself, how I write, what my strengths are, and where I still need to grow.

Who knows, folks, what I will venture to try next. But I guarantee whatever it is, I will give it 100%. And I hope you will too, in whatever endeavor you're trying that may be new and scary for you. We can do this!

Also, stay warm--go find someone to cuddle up with on these cold nights. Spring will be here before we know it.

Snooki hitting NYT bestseller list...a good thing?

So, I had this big fat rant typed up in here, where I got in a truly unholy furor about Snooki hitting the NYT bestseller list with her book Blah Blah Blah (I'm totally not posting a link or the real title because I'm not funding her, haha).

And then with one accidental hit of the "delete" button, it was all erased. My beautiful diatribe, gone in a flash! *sob*

But...maybe it's for the best. After all, I could write pages upon pages about why this is truly a shame, why Snooki isn't a REAL writer, why I'm disappointed that people are buying her book instead of supporting debut authors.

But I won't.

Instead, I'm going to take all that anger I feel bubbling in my gut and use it productively.

Hey, I'm an author. I work hard. I study the craft. I will continue to grow. I can and will take these feelings and funnel them into a more sensible discussion. And then into my current manuscript.

After all, people, let's be honest. Yes, Snooki hit the NYT bestseller list, but her story (to put it baldly) sucks. I read the excerpt and feel very comfortable saying that, haha. (I'm not posting it because, again, I'm not supporting her). So how long can it stay on the list? How quickly is it going to shoot down into obscurity and hit the outlet stores?

People are always curious--we all crane our heads to look at car accidents. And that's what Snooki's book is: a tragic car accident. Traffic slows down for a little bit while we feed our impulse, but then once the thrill is gone, we move on our way, putting it behind us. Completely forgetting about it by the time we get home.

Snooki may hit NYT right now, but her book doesn't have what it takes to stay there (yes, I'm being insanely judgmental, but so be it). Like a flash in the pan, I truly believe she's going to peak and then fall. Her book will be found on the discount table, marked 50% off soon enough, just like every other flash-in-the-pan "celeb" who does the same thing.

So let's look at how a book like hers can actually help us regular-Joe authors:

--when people buy her book (which pains me, but come on...we all know it's going to happen and obviously already is happening), it provides $$ to the publisher. In turn, the publisher is able to acquire more books, able to take a chance on smaller stories and help make other authors' dreams come true. This is a good thing.

--if Snooki can get published, you can too. Let me repeat that: IF SNOOKI CAN GET PUBLISHED, YOU CAN TOO. Snooki's platform is her insta-celeb status, but she has no sense of craft, of writing skill. But you, you smart writer, you're working hard at developing your sense of pacing, characterization, plotting. Because of that, you're setting yourself up in the long run to succeed. You don't want to peak and fall; you want to rise and stay there. It may take you longer, but you have a much greater chance of hitting and staying successful than she does. After all, what's going to happen to her once Jersey Shore loses its "charm"? The world is a fickle place.

So, here's my plan: all this anger and passion I feel about Snooki on the NYT bestseller list will serve me as fuel. As a sort of odd inspiration, paradoxically enough.

I am working in this industry as a career. I can and WILL succeed, because I have deep, abiding dedication and motivation. I will open my manuscript and write, because that's what I do. I will revise. I will keep working on selling another book.

And I will not buy her book. Instead, I will take my hard-earned money and support my fellow authors, especially those who are truly debuting. I will also stop being so bitter over someone like Snooki, because her life is her own journey, and she's not robbing any audience from me, right? I'm pretty sure whoever is really reading her stuff probably wouldn't dig my writing anyway, haha.

So if you'll excuse me, I have a book to write. :D

Happy New Year! Uh, 17 days late.

Okay, so I'm a little late posting this, but whatev. Happy new year, people! I've been working hard at writing and editing, and the spring semester starts tomorrow, so I'll be back teaching too.

Anyway, howdy. Hola! Bonjour! We are now in 2011. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I totally thought 2011 was going to be different with all kinds of magical technology. Then again, we really do have some cool-ass things out there, don't we? I'm writing this on my MacBook, which is totally my newest obsession. The track pad thingie is surely a creation of magic. I can do things I never dreamed possible back when I had a PC. I'm listening to my iPod, which I synch with my MacBook and my iPhone.

Hm, I think I neglected to mention that 2010 was the year that Rhonda becomes an Apple junkie, apparently. haha

I'm also working on writing. Writing! It feels good. This new story is dark, dark, dark, DAAAAARK. And did I mention that it's dark? It's a serial killer one, obviously not a teen story, and will be subbed under a pen name. Cuz, yanno, I don't want 12-year-old girls looking up my fiction and finding that. haha.

There's something invigorating, renewing about being able to delve into a completely new direction with a new identity. The pressure is off. I can write what I want, no worries about audience at this point. Just me and the page and the words.

On the editing side of things, Carina Press has been keeping me busy. I've been editing like a mo-fo, reading manuscripts, acquiring new stories, etc. Yippie skippy! :D It's exciting being on the other end of the publishing desk, and reading all these manuscripts helps me look at how to improve my own craft. That in and of itself has been amazing.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I gotta get back to the grindstone, but I wanted to let you know I'm still alive. haha