Just Your Average Crazy Writer

Speed Hump, Anyone?

2012-01-26T11:34:00.000-05:00

One of the weird things I do (out of, like, 400 billion weird things) is take pics of signs I find as I go oot and aboot in my daily life. Here are some of my favs:

This one's on the side of my husband's leaf blower. I like how they show you the mangled finger. Good warning, yo.

What makes me laugh about this sign in a nearby town is that right behind these signs is a lake. The sign on the top right isn't giving the best advice...

If I remember right, this one's from a Panera bathroom. It looks like the baby's going to kick her mom's armpits. Poor mom--ungrateful baby!

This one was in the waiting room of a car repair joint. I like how it shows you not only is the liquid bad for black bars, it will DESTROY YOUR THUMB.

This one was in the Walmart parking lot. Everyone I know loves a good Speed Hump. hahaha

My mom took this one in Tennessee. I like how the words weren't enough--we needed the image of the dude flying head-first off the bike, just to seal in the danger.

So, there ya go. Have fun sign-hunting!

Hey, Girl--Get Yer Struck On! Ryan Gosling did...

2011-12-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

So, Struck (the 3-in-1 bind-up of my Stupid Cupid trilogy) released on December 6 in paperback and ebook for the amazeballs bargain price of $9.99--my little baby's all grown up and out there in the world for everyone to read. *sniffle*

I had so much fun writing this trilogy. It was a lot of hard work getting here, but I'm so, so glad I pushed myself to keep at it, through all the rough spots. There's nothing quite as humbling as seeing your book on the bookshelves--it never, ever gets old. I'm eternally grateful Simon Pulse took a chance on Felicity and her matchmaking shenanigans. (And I looooooove this cover!!)

My hands-down favorite scene in the first book of the trilogy was when Felicity walked in on her parents...uh...let's say, getting intimate. She'd decided a great anniversary present for them would be to give the gift of love, so she matchmade them--not realizing they'd be all over each other like white on rice. I giggled SO HARD when writing it, imagining how horrified I'd be if I caught my parents like that--uh, no offense, Mom and Dad.

Apparently, Ryan Gosling liked that scene as well--read what he had to say about it in the always-hilarious "Hey, Girl" meme: http://bit.ly/uxFos0

Struck is available in print at Barnes and Noble in the US, and Chapters in Canada. It's possibly at some independent bookstores too...if you spot it at an indie store, please let me know! And, of course, it's available online--here's where you can find it:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indiebound
Books-a-Million

Just in case you're interested, here's the blurb for Struck:

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That’s why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid’s Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn’t just a matchmaker...she’s a cupid! (There’s more than one of them, you know.) Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But the path to love is not always a straight shot....

Enter to win a signed copy of STRUCK!

2011-11-14T14:29:00.000-05:00

So, I'm pretty much bouncing around the house like a kid on crack because I got two advanced copies of my December 6 release, STRUCK (which is my three-in-one bindup of STUPID CUPID, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, and PUCKER UP). Naturally, I want to pet them all day...and after I'm done first-basing the book, give one away to you guys. Haha, I keed--I'll leave it to you to get to know my book, biblically or otherwise.

Interested in entering to win a signed copy of this book? It's super easy. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post answering the following: How do you feel about matchmaking--online, in person or by other means? Have you or anyone you've known found a significant other this way?

You can also earn an extra entry per pimpage (e.g., 1 for Twitter, 1 for Facebook, etc). In your entry reply, let me know where you shared it. Also, make sure to leave a way for me to reach you if you're the winner. You can post your email address or send it to me directly if you don't want it online (rhonda at rhondaedits dot com).

Contest starts today and runs through Sunday, November 27, 11:59 pm EST. Open only to residents of U.S. or Canada (sorry, shipping is craaaazy expensive otherwise). I'll randomly choose 1 winner from all viable entries.

Thanks, and good luck!

Where to find my books

2011-11-07T08:53:00.008-05:00

Interested in purchasing my books? Here's where you can find them:

(STRUCK is the 3-book volume of the Stupid Cupid trilogy)

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That's why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.)

Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But the path to love is not always a straight shot...

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indiebound
Books-a-Million

(STUPID CUPID is book 1 in the trilogy)

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That's why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.)

Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired...and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.

Amazon ebook
Barnes and Noble ebook
Books-a-Million ebook

(FLIRTING WITH DISASTER is book 2 in the trilogy)

Felicity is a total romantic. That's why she follows her heart—not the rules—in her job as a cupid. But when Felicity turns her matchmaking magic on her best friend, Andy, it's Andy who breaks their golden rule: friends always come first. Andy is so wrapped up in her new guy that she's ditching everyone else. How can Felicity stop her BFF from letting a BF come between them?

Meanwhile, Felicity decides to get over her crush on Derek by setting him up with someone else—but in her impulsive haste, she accidentally matches him with the whole school, and now everyone is in love with him. The entire student body is headed toward heartbreak, just weeks before prom. Does Felicity have what it takes to make everyone's heart happy...including her own?

Amazon ebook
Barnes and Noble ebook
Books-a-Million ebook

(PUCKER UP is book 3 in the trilogy)

Felicity can't believe her luck. Her longtime crush is now officially her boyfriend, and just in time for prom. Felicity isn't just smitten with Derek, she's head-over-heels in love. So when she learns that her boss at Cupid's Hollow used cupid magic to make Derek fall for her, Felicity is devastated. What will happen when the magic wears off?

Felicity has only two weeks to win Derek's heart for real—no matter what it takes!

Amazon ebook
Barnes and Noble ebook
Books-a-Million ebook

(THE FIRST TIME is an YA short story anthology)

Rhonda's story: "Heart On"

Matt's a self-proclaimed geek. He spends his free time solving math problems for fun, and girls don't factor into that equation. So when his man-ho brother Troy sets him up on a blind date, Matt's eager to ditch her...until he sees Jessie and all of her hotness. But when she takes him to a narc anonymous meeting and makes up a wild story about being hooked on bathtub meth, he quickly realizes she's not only crazy hot—she's also just plain crazy.

Amazon ebook
Barnes and Noble ebook

(SUPER ZERO is an adult romance)

Working for superheroes isn't all it's cracked up to be...

When Jenna’s superhero boss The Machine gives her the opportunity to safeguard the changing crystal (a jewel that grants, changes or removes superpowers) she jumps at the chance, eager to do this so-called "cake" job and earn street cred with the Midwest League of Superheroes. To help her mission, the League assigns her a partner, the mysterious and super-sexy Vigilante. Too bad he's also super-grouchy--what a tragic waste of hotness.

Soon, Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and her list of trustworthy people grows shorter by the minute. But when she discovers something even more sinister afoot, involving Vigilante's sexy arch nemesis Dementrix, it'll take all her skills to keep the mad villainess from executing her plan to unmask and decommission the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself.

Amazon ebook
Barnes and Noble ebook
All Romance ebook
Smashwords ebook

Rejections from publishers--it's not personal!

2011-10-12T09:28:00.002-04:00

So, I had to send a couple of rejections to authors whose manuscripts weren't quite right for Carina for various reasons. One author was amazingly gracious about it and I wouldn't hesitate to read future submissions from her. The other well, mentioned our name in a blog post and made snippy comments about us passing on the story. What's funny is, the ONLY reason that latter manuscript was rejected was because we aren't publishing that genre anymore. No commentary at all on the quality of the writing (which was amazing and totally moved me). Just a matter of the publisher changing scope.

Things like this happen ALL. THE. TIME. And it sucks--oh GOD, do I know how much it sucks. A couple of years ago I'd written a proposal for the Simon Pulse romantic comedy line. They loved it (naturally, because it was utterly brilliant, haha)...except they decided to put that line on hold and not publish anything for a while. So my proposal was rejected.

No fault of mine. No commentary on my writing. I nursed my wounds for a day or two, ate copious amounts of chocolate and moved on to the next idea.

It happens to all of us. ALL of us. I know a number of authors, myself included, who have been rejected post-publication. And from our own publishers, even.

Rejection isn't just the badge of the unpublished.

There are a number of reasons why manuscripts get rejected when being considering for acquisition:

--your manuscript is good, but needs too much work. This one's a judgment call the editor has to make. How much editing time do we put into helping the author craft this story into what it needs to be? Do we even HAVE that time to spare? Is this something we'll run into with every manuscript by this author, where it needs to be heavily massaged into salable condition?

--your manuscript isn't marketable. Editors can love a manuscript--LOVE--but not be able to acquire it. Publishing is a business. Yes, we want to share with the world all those manuscripts we fall for, but we need to know they're going to sell too. A lot of money gets spent on editorial, covers, marketing, etc. Manuscripts that are a little too niche (like superheroes *sob*), that don't have a strong hook, that are in a sluggish genre can get rejected.

--not everyone in the acquisitions team meeting loves the manuscript. The editor obviously loves it, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. In this case, it's hard for the editor not to feel like he/she's been rejected too. I've been there. It sucks. *reaches for candy bar*

--marketing issues regarding the author. For example, the author has no website/facebook/twitter/blog, no notable desire to self-promote, etc (and NO, this won't make or break an acquisition, but it is a factor, let's be honest). Or another example: the author wants to write too many various genres with us, so we can't market that person effectively. Do we "brand" you as an urban fantasy author if your first novel is urban fantasy but your follow-up is historical, and your third is erotic romance?

There are other reasons, of course. But note that none of the reasons above said you suck. Or that we hate you. Or that you should quit writing and go drink cheap vodka in the back of a van and spend the rest of your days making tacos or hemming pants or whatever.

When you're publicly rude about rejection, you're possibly making that editor feel like he/she just dodged a bullet with you and maaaaaaybe it was better that you weren't acquired. See, it's not just about the story, you guys--it's about relationships, about us working together on this project and future ones. If you can't be professional, if you rip on publishers all over the interwebs (even if it's not us but another publisher), why would I want to work with you? I get plenty of submissions from gracious, professional authors. My ultimate goal in life is to reduce drama. haha

Authors get rejected. I know it sucks. And yes, feel free to vent--to your friend, your critique partner, your spouse, your kid, your dog, your priest, your kid's teacher. But please, please, please remember that publishing is a lot smaller industry than you may think, and editors do check you out. It's the same with any job: no one wants to work with coworkers who smile to your face and say bad things about you when you're gone. We're looking to build relationships, not just acquire/publish one book and that's it, good luck to ya, don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

Another thing: there are LOTS of authors who have been rejected by a publisher but then were acquired with another manuscript (or sometimes, even the SAME story after being heavily revised).

So why burn bridges because you have a moment of anger? Take a breath, take two, take a few days to think about things before posting.

This has been a public service announcement. Thank you. lol

(note: naturally, any editorial posts I make here or elsewhere represent my feelings/thoughts only, not Carina Press or anyone else's)

Celebrate good times...with emo-coaster high-school poetry

2011-10-07T08:08:00.003-04:00

Last night marks a blessed event in my household. After days of wandering around in my pajamas, mumbling incoherently to myself, ignoring the kids and husband and dogs, living off anything I could whip up from a box because I was IN THE WRITER ZONE and totally didn't have time for menial tasks like brushing my hair or anything, I finished my YA novel.

I FINISHED IT.

Holy crap on a cracker, this is a magical moment, you guys. I wrote what I wanted. Not under contract. No stresses about the market or what will sell. Not trying to please anyone else. Just decadent, glorious writing. I forgot how amazing that feels. This is why we write--just falling in love with crafting words and worlds again, creating characters who grow and change along their journey.

I found my voice. I let myself slide under my heroine's skin. Swooned over her relationship with her love interest. Entrenched myself in the city where I set the novel.

Saying "the end" to them is a little hard, to tell the truth--these two teens pulled me from my worst writing slump ever. They hold a special place in my heart. I'm soooo looking forward to polishing this sucka up and getting it to my agent.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be "back" in the saddle. And to continue the festivities, I'm going to share my first real examples of writing. See, I didn't start out as a novelist--I was a poet in high school. A really, really, REEEEEALLY horrible poet with a one-track mind: love.

Lovity love loversons--the subject of 99% of my emo-laden poetry. And lucky for you, I'm gifting one of those Shakespearean-level poems to the world today. See how I twist and turn a striking and completely non-cliched phrase, yet still cleverly play with meter and rhythm. Ooh and awe over my fierce skills in using the word "alas," composing this poem with deft "angsty teen bubble-handwriting" penmanship.

Aaaaanyway, yay! Have a great weekend, and I hope you sprinkle light drops of love on each rose petal you see. *snort*

Plotting workshop--coming in November!

2011-09-16T15:40:00.000-04:00

Plotting--amazing how this one word can strike fear or even hatred in the hearts of writers. Writing is supposed to be creative, right?

Well, the problem is that many writers have no idea how to go about making a novel happen. How do you know your idea is big enough for a full novel? How do you make sure you won't be stuck with a saggy middle? What's a good way to weave subplots appropriately in a story and give them a meaningful connection with the main plot?

I'm offering a month-long workshop designed to teach you how to craft a full plot for a novel, including character depth/development, plot twists, the dark moment/climax, and a satisfactory ending. We'll use Debra Dixon's principles in her book Goal, Motivation, and Conflict as a partial basis for the workshop (it's highly recommended you purchase this book before the workshop--find it HERE), as well as various unique tips and tricks I employ in my own writing.

This intense, hands-on workshop will run from Nov 1 to 24. Here's a tentative syllabus (lessons posted twice a week on Tuesdays/Thursdays, with homework accompanying each lesson):

Week 1: Intro to Rhonda's nerdalicious plotting methodology; creating your own plan of action

Week 2: Employing effective brainstorming techniques; refining your core idea and applying GMC to enrich character development

Week 3: Turning points/building your plot in manageable chunks; tips/tricks for plotting

Week 4: Weaving in subplot; final thoughts on plotting

The course will be held via Yahoo groups. Questions and brainstorming is highly encouraged (a separate brainstorming loop will be set up just for this purpose!). For maximum benefit, it's recommended you bring at least a core of a new story idea to work with, though if you have a work in progress, you can use this workshop to enrich and deepen your current plot.

BIO: I am a multi-published author with Simon and Schuster in teen fiction. I am also an acquisitions/developmental editor with Carina Press, the e-book imprint of Harlequin Publishing. I offer numerous workshops on employing sophisticated style, voice, and practical self-editing tips. I have a Bachelor's degree in English, Creative Writing, and a Master's degree in English Literature. I've also taught college composition.

Cost for this workshop is $20. I accept paypal or check.

The registration deadline is the day before the workshop starts. Once registered, you will be subscribed to the workshop loop prior to and for the duration of the class. The workshop is held on Yahoo groups--you will be sent an invitation to join. It's important you check your spam filter so you don't miss it! No refunds if you fail to enroll yourself once you are offered the invitation.

Questions? Want to sign up? Please email me at rhonda@rhondastapleton.com -- thanks! :D

New release from teen author Danielle Joseph--Pure Red!

2011-09-09T08:18:00.000-04:00

My sweetheart of a friend Danielle Joseph has a new release called Pure Red. I wanted to have her on the blog and do a little interview because she's pretty rad, and I'm super excited about this book and can't wait to read it. :D

So, here's the interview!

Danielle, this book is your third, yes? Do you think it was harder or easier to write?

It was easier because it was actually one of the first books that I wrote but I sold it third. After I sold my first two, I did a rewrite and then sold it.

Rock on! It gives us hope that books can still make it out there, even if they don't initially sell. So, if you could take any person to prom, who would it be and why?

I would take you to prom because we would be laughing the entire night! We would probably also rock the dance floor!

Oh, it's ON like diddy kong. I'm totally going to get a dress with a butt bow now. You should know I do a KILLER "sprinkler" move. haha. Okay, a seriously random Q: what's your secret favorite snack that you hide from people and pretend you totally didn't buy so they can't eat it all?

Hot Tamales are one of my favorite snacks. It's kind of silly that I hide them because I don't think anyone in my family would want to eat them.

WOW. I never would have guessed that. I tend to hide anything made of chocolate. Last Q for you: what piece of writing advice has been invaluable to you?

Write from your heart. As corny as it sounds, it works every time!

Thanks so much for being here, Danielle! And for our readers at home, here's a blurb about the book, Pure Red:

Orange is for energy, pink means love, and I, Cassia Bernard, do solemnly swear to find pure red—my passion—this summer. Dad's raison d'être is art. When he's painting, no one can reach him, not even me.

I'm giving basketball a chance. But what I really want to score this summer is the adoration of Graham Hadley—a.k.a. Cutebutt. Then when Dad agrees to mentor Graham with his art project, all of Cutebutt's attention is on Dad—leaving me feeling as colorless as the Miami sky on a rainy day. But I'm not giving up just yet.

Adventures With Pink Eye

2011-09-02T16:13:00.002-04:00

My sister had the funniest yet most horrific visit to the doctor today. I wanted to share what she wrote in her Facebook note (and YES, I have her permission) because I'm pretty sure I laughed and laughed and laughed until I tinkled a little. Okay, a lot. Don't judge me.

Here's what she wrote, in all of its epic glory:

"So yesterday, my eye started looking red and angry. I tried allergy medicine and eye drops but by last night it looked like the Wrath of God. This morning I still had concentrated evil coming out of my eye, plus goop, so I went to the Fast Care center at Kroger for a prescription for eye drops.

As soon as I told the lady behind the counter that I thought I had pink eye, she immediately started gearing up for combat. She ran over and got gloves and cleaning cloths and proceded to clean everything I'd already touched and everything near me that I hadn't even come in contact with.

I must have looked a bit confused because she said, "It's okay, this is to protect you and the other patients." I asked her how cleaning something after I'd already touched it would protect me, but she just gave me a look and kept scrubbing. She literally cleaned EVERYTHING I came into contact with, even though she had on gloves. To get the proper visual, picture a panicked-looking young woman wearing bright blue gloves using a cleaning cloth to take my credit card from me so she could bill me.

I get that it needed to be clean, but not right in front of me! She also washed her hands around 7 times while she was taking my vitals. Nothing like feeling like Patient X in the movie Outbreak or something; I was pretty sure that after I left she'd called the CDC and that the military will be waiting at my house with a containment barrier.

So when I finally got in there with the doctor she informed me that I do have pink eye in BOTH EYES (gah!) and would need eye drops. She said that the medicine should be pretty cheap, but that if it wasn't then she'd call in another one. That was fine--I was more worried about whether it would burn. When I asked if it would, she promptly said that it was a cheap med, but if it was too expensive she'd call in another. Huh? So I said again, "Price is fine, I just want to know if it burns." Again, she mentioned the cost. We literally had this conversation 2 more times before she finally said that it may burn because of the irritation.

But the best part was yet to come. Finally she explained how to use the eye drops. Apparently I needed to press my tear duct while my "husband or boyfriend" put the drop in my eyes, then wait 30 seconds and blink 3 times. God help me if I blinked 2 or 4 instead. Seriously. Like, the next steps were to solve the riddle of the Sphinx and bring back a phoenix egg, and only then would I get to fight the dragon and cross the underworld to speak with the wizard who could give me the magic potion to cure my eye.

The next portion of the conversation is too wonderful to paraphrase, so I'll be using quotes...

Me, a little overwhelmed: "How do I apply this myself?"

Dr. Overly Complicated Directions: "What do you mean?"

Me, getting frustrated: "I'll be doing this myself. How do I do it?"

Dr. Starting to Panic: "You don't have a husband or boyfriend"??!!??!!! (be sure to add the proper amount of shock and horror to her voice when you read this)

Me, now confused and irritated: "Uhh, no, I'm single."

Dr. Now Very Worried About My Future: "You live alone???!!!" (pity and horror this time)

Me, thoroughly pissed off: "Yeah, all alone. It's just me and all of my cats."

Dr. Smelly Fart-Face: "Ohh, well I guess you can apply it yourself. Just do 2 drops and try to rush-press your tear ducts to keep the drops from dripping through the bottom of your eye into the back of your nose." (I wish I was making this up)

Sigh, so I don't even like cats, but seriously, within the span of 10 minutes they made me feel like I had the plague and was deliberately spreading Super AIDS to orphans, and that I was a spinster who would die alone to be eventually eaten by my cats because no man will ever love me. Probably because of the pink eye."

Okay, so let's all give my sister a little bit of love--poor thing is likely about to be quarantined in her apartment. I told her I hope she stocked up on ice cream...

Top Ten Ways to Drive an Editor to Drinking

2011-08-31T21:01:00.000-04:00

As many of you know by now, I'm an acquisitions and developmental editor for Harlequin's e-publishing imprint Carina Press. My job is AWESOME. I get to read, read, readity read manuscripts. When I find books I love, I shamelessly beg the acquisition team to let me have 'em, and then I get to work with awesome authors and help make their books as strong and compelling as they can be.

But sometimes...sometimes, this job drives me to the drink. I'm not just talking about a gentle glass of riesling or chardonnay, either. No, sometimes I need a BIG boozy drink, like what this foxy lady is having:

So, without further ado, I present...the top 10 ways to drive an editor to drinking:

1--Send a manuscript that's insaaaaaaanely long. I'm talking 250,000-word tomes. Those make me cry. They make baby Jesus cry. They make Bobby McFarrin cry, and that dude is always happy. Cut that number in half at the VERY least (and even that's genre-specific, like epic fantasy and historicals...other genres are likely going to be a lower word count) and then, let's talk.

2--Email constantly about the status of your manuscript. My day flies by much quicker than I could ever have dreamed. I typically read new submissions on evenings and weekends because my business day is packed with editing my current authors, among other tasks. So it can take a while to get to new submissions. Please, don't fret. I promise, it's in the pile.

3--Send a manuscript that's a rough draft or hasn't been proofread. Editors know errors are going to happen. I'm totally cool with that, and I anticipate it--I just want a good story, and I'm happy to work with authors on the rest. But if your manuscript is littered with insanely obvious errors (e.g., there's a HUGE difference in spraying your cologne and spraying your colon)...well, it makes me drink. And my eyes bleed.

4--Tell everyone on FB/Twitter/your blog/in the newspaper that the editor is a fatty fat jerk for rejecting you. I can't emphasize enough that it isn't personal. Not every story works for every person. Just keep submitting to other editors. YOU ONLY NEED ONE EDITOR to love it and acquire it.

5--Nitpick to death about house style. Every publishing house has various particulars that are non-negotiable style-wise. Editors abide by these when we're editing your manuscript. Rejecting those edits just makes the job more difficult. And the liver more springy due to heavy drinking.

6--Be a total diva. My authors know I'm a hands-on, thorough editor. I comment a LOT as I read and edit because I'm engaged in the story. When I present an edited manuscript, there's lots of stuff in there that are suggestions and don't NEED to be followed. If you don't want to do those, no skin off my nose. However, there's other stuff I recommend edits for because of more serious content issues. Battling over edits makes me dislike working with you. I'd MUCH rather you take time to consider the edits, and if you don't want to make particular changes, let's talk. We can find a compromise that makes everyone happy.

7--When you get an offer from another publisher, only give, like, 2 minutes to read/decide upon your manuscript. Look, the buck doesn't stop here. Even if for some reason I'm able to read through your manuscript overnight (because typically, I have to push aside all my other work to do so), it still has to go to an acquisitions meeting. And those aren't daily--at least, not in my experience. Harlequin's meetings are usually weekly. I can't move mountains or make it go faster. Please, be patient.

8--In your query letter, say you're the next big thing in X genre. You telling me that your writing is better than bestselling authors is a big old turn-off. Don't brag (and that includes telling me that your story is tear-jerkingly amazing, or hilarious, or brilliant, etc). Let your writing speak for itself.

9--Send inappropriate material. What I mean by this is stuff that our publishing house doesn't read. For Carina Press, that would be things like poetry, anything with under-18 sex scenes that could be construed as pornographic in nature, YA, etc. Please read the guidelines.

10--Ask the editor to tell you every single reason why your manuscript was rejected. I know you want answers, but I read dozens of submissions each month and just don't have time. There are a lot of very common reasons why manuscripts are rejected--I've posted them on my blog. Carina Press has done the same. I know other editors, agents and industry pros do too. But my job as an acquisitions editor isn't to help you grow your craft. It's to find manuscripts I want to acquire. So find a critique partner. Read books on craft. Join a writer's group. Hire a freelance editor. There are a lot of great options for you.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more manuscripts to read...and a glass of vodka that's calling my name. haha

KY and OH, here I come!

2011-08-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

It's time for the second leg of the Girls Taking Over the World tour! Join me, Saundra Mitchell, Lara Zielin and Christine Johnson (plus special guests Julie Kagawa and Sara Bennett Wealer) as we sign books, talk about YA and promote girl power! More details HERE.

Here's my signing schedule (note: I won't be able to attend the Thursday signing in IN as I'd previously thought, though Saundra, Lara and Christine will still be there and rocking it!):

Book Talk, Q&A, Signing
Friday, August 26, 2011 7-9 PM
Special Guest: Julie Kagawa
Campbell County Public Library
Carrico/Ft. Thomas Branch
1000 Highland Ave
Ft. Thomas, KY 41075
(Sponsored by Blue Marble)

Book Talk, Signing
Saturday, August 27, 2011 4-6 PM
Special Guest: Sara Bennett Wealer
blue manatee
3054 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45209

I hope to see you guys there. Woohoo!

Seven things that are awesome

2011-08-21T08:59:00.001-04:00

My darling sweetcheeks friend Lara Zielin totally did this, and I'm going to steal it because hey, thinking about happy things is never a waste of time. So, here we go--seven things I think are uber awesome, with accompanying pictures:

1. Whacky warning signs. This one was on the side of a blower man tool thingie. I love how it shows the severed finger. Warning! If you're stupid and stick your hand in here, you WILL LOSE a finger. Don't be like this fool.

2. Foxy shoes. Chad got me these for Christmas, and I LOVE THEM and totally can't wait until fall so I can rock these suckas.

3. Funny pie charts. hahahahaha get it? It's a BOOTY.

4. Fires! This one is from my fireplace. Look at how fancypants I stacked it--ooh la la!

5. Dog spooning. My little doxie pup Duke is trying his best to spoon Lucy, a vishla. Good try, little guy. Good try.

6. Themed parties. Back in March I held an Ides of March toga party. CHECK OUT THIS CAKE. It was hilarious. Rivers of blood. A knife. Body parts. Epic.

7. This puppet. I named him Officer No-Nos. He has a theme song. He will be vlogging with me verra soon, during which time you shall hear his theme song. I think he's hilarious. LOOK AT THAT 'STACHE.

Okay, your turn--what do you think is awesome? Share with meeeee. Or, if you do your own blog post, comment with the linky!

You found me by googling what?

2011-08-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

Once again, it's time to play, "How in the World Did You Find Me?", a fun little game where I pull up the cracked-out keywords people use to find me. Here are my favs among this feisty bunch:

--World's crappiest house. Well, I know my house needs to be clean, but I'd HARDLY call it the crappiest.

--Chicken sandwich with chips. Okay, that sounds REALLY good right now.

--Creepy songs about young girls. Wonderful. I write ONE blog post about creepy pedo songs, and now I'm the go-to gal for it. Yes, I leave quite a legacy for my children.

--How do I morph into a yugioh girl character? Um, I don't know...but I'm laughing. Hard. And if you find out, please let the rest of us know.

--I like a 12 year olf. I have nooooo idea what this means, but perhaps you meant to write "old" instead of "olf"...? And if that's true, why would you google this phrase?

--jewish kick off uncomfortable shoes. hahaha. HAHAHAHAHA

--gut eating. EWW.

So, that's it for now. Do you have a blog or site? What funny keywords have people used to find YOU? Share in the comments!

Writing for writing's sake--how I missed this

2011-07-30T13:24:00.000-04:00

Warning--this is a very raw post about writing and the publishing industry. Be warned...

As some of you may know, I sold my YA trilogy STUPID CUPID in February 2008. Since then, I've written a number of proposals, brainstormed dozens of ideas, frantically wrote and wrote and wrote and pulled hair out and wrote and wrote and wrote more in the increasingly desperate attempt to sell again.

It didn't happen.

My books came out in December 2009, February 2010, May 2010. They hit the shelves. Then shortly thereafter they left the shelves, wallowing away into certain obscurity. Book tours and signings came and went, gaining me a few new readers at a time. Web site updates, more writing, gotta promote myself, why isn't anything new selling? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Writing became work. Work became a strain. Strain made me lose my joy. Instead, life became all about the numbers--how can I increase my sales? How can I increase my sales? How can I sell new books to build a backlist to increase my sales? HOW HOW HOW?

And meanwhile, in the deep-down part of me I was too scared to face, I felt unhappy. Disappointed. Invisible. Stupid. Talentless. Lame. Darling good writer friends continued to sell new books. People I couldn't stand continued to sell new books, and even shoot to the tops of bestseller lists. And here was me, somewhere in the middle of all that, writing and promoting and writing and promoting and pretty much drowning in lower midlist hell.

The continued rejection weighed on me. I struggled with excitement over promoting books that essentially felt dead in the water. I decided self-publishing is the exciting new world, so I pulled out a manuscript I loved but was a hard sell, polished up my darling superheroes and sent it out into the world, sure this would be the answer.

Still no increase in my numbers. No big sales. No big burst of popularity or notoriety.

My Stupid Cupid trilogy is being bound into one volume called STRUCK, releasing in December. A good last effort for me to get back on the bookshelves, continue to reach a new audience. Will it work? Honestly? I have no idea. But I've learned not to hold my breath anymore, to not expect anything, as cynical as it sounds. Though I've been in this industry for a few years now, there are so many things I still have to learn. Things I don't understand. Things that sting deeply.

The biggest problem here is that writing lost its sparkle. Lost its magic. Brainstorming was no longer fun--it was about coming up with a big concept that would surely sell. But it never did. It's embarrassing to think about how many ideas and proposals I've written that have flopped. But sometimes, that's how it goes. For a lot of people, that's how it goes.

Then I got a book idea. Very different than anything I've written. Dark. Brutal. Filled with scary emotions. An adult serial killer story that is going slowly, but moving forward. That is pulling out of me things I didn't realize I had. Depths I didn't realize I carried. Craft I didn't realize I could achieve.

And after that, after I've written the first 100 pgs and sent it to my adult agent, I'll go back to a YA proposal I'd abandoned before. One that is good and strong and compelling for me but had another too-similar story sell. So I'd dropped it, because my focus was on selling, not on writing.

But not right now. Right now, my focus is falling in love with writing again. I'm totally loving this crazy weird serial killer story. I'm eagerly anticipating my agent's opinions and thoughts so I can make it as strong as it can be.

And after that, I'll finish the YA proposal, because even though others have been sold like it, none of them are quite like mine. None of them have my voice, my eyes, my feelings, my unique point of view. So I will tell that story too. And I'll send it to my YA agent and work on making it awesome. And then hopefully, we'll send both of these stories out to editors.

Yesterday, I stumbled across the first YA I wrote. The one that got me my YA agent. I remember drafting it, the hopes and emotions and total zoning out I did as I escaped into my words and just...did. Didn't stress then about high-concept or selling. Didn't stress about backlist or bookshelves. Just wrote for the sheer joy of it.

God, I missed that.

The story didn't sell. Rereading it, I can see why. It needs more depth. More emotion. The characters didn't resonate enough. It took me 4 years, 4 other full novels, countless proposals for me to see that. To understand why this effort was close, but not quite there. And more importantly, for me to see how to fix those problems.

I'm reconnecting with my first love now, feeling that blush, that spark again. Remembering how much fun it was to just drift off into my own little world and breathe life into people who didn't exist before I created them.

God, I missed that.

So to all you other writers out there--to those of you who haven't sold yet. To those of you who have sold and like me, want so badly to sell again you can taste it. Hunger for it. I know how that feels. But please, don't let it make you lose your love of writing. This industry can tear you down so quickly. It can break your heart and spirit if you let it.

Your voice is your own. No one else can see or tell a story the way you can. Capture that. Don't let it go. Don't give up on what you want. But ultimately, write because you love it.

If I never sell another book again, I have to learn to be okay with that. I've long since discovered I can't control that, no matter how hard I try. All I can control is my writing, trying to bring out the best in me each time I sit down at my computer. Growing my craft, learning, connecting with other writers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to writing. I have a lot to do, and I'm excited to be doing it.

IN and MI folks--come see me next weekend for booksigning!

2011-07-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a group signing for an event next weekend called (most epically) GIRLS TAKING OVER THE WORLD. Yes, it's true. Girls rule. Join me, Lara Zielin, Christine Johnson and Saundra Mitchell (with guest Aimée Carter) as we dish on how awesome it is to be a chick and why girl power is on the rise.

Here's the link showing all the tour dates: GTOTW. And here's our tour schedule for next weekend!

Reading, Q and A, Signing
Friday, August 5, 2011 7:00-9:00 PM
Nicola's Books
Special Guest: Aimée Carter
Westgate Shopping Center
2513 Jackson Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Booktalk and Signing
Saturday, August 6, 2011 6:00-8:00PM
Summer's Stories
131 S Main
Kendallville, IN 46755

Booktalk and Signing
Sunday, August 7, 2011 2:00-4:00PM
Special Guest: Aimée Carter
Barnes and Noble Livonia
17111 Haggerty Rd.
Northville, MI 48167

It's my birthday--giveaway of TEN copies of Super Zero!

2011-07-22T08:59:00.001-04:00

So, today is my BIRTHDAY, holla! I'm 35. Yup, hit mid-thirties and moving along quite nicely. And still saying ridiculous things like, "holla!"

Anyway, let's celebrate. I'm going to give away TEN copies of my adult superhero novel, SUPER ZERO. And how can you enter to win a copy of this oh-so whacky fun (and yet...strangely alluring) ebook? By answering this simple question in the comments area: Who's your fav superhero and why?

If you tweet/FB/Google+/blog/etc. the contest, you get an extra entry per each effort, so make sure to let me know in your comment! And please make sure to provide me with an email address so I can reach you in case you're a winner.

Let's keep it open for a few days. Contest will end Monday night, 7/25/11 at 11:59 pm EST. So enter, enter, enter (and don't forget, if you help me spread the word, you get an extra entry per promo). Contest is open to anyone. Prize will be distributed via Amazon or emailed directly to you if you don't have an Amazon acct--I have a variety of formats available, so if you don't have an ereader or ebook apps on your phone/computer, you can still enter to win.

Thanks so much, guys!

My 12-year-old on bachelorhood

2011-07-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

My son, chowing down on pasta

So, my son's decided he's a bachelor. It all started when he asked if he could eat the leftover pasta after dinner this evening. Of course, I said sure--he's skinny and needs a little more meat on them bones, haha. Here's how our convo went:

Him: "Mom, I think I'm a bachelor."

Me: ... "Uh, okay? Why is that?"

Him: "Well, bachelors eat straight out of the pan, right?"

Me: *giggle* "Yeah, sure. I guess so."

Him: "Bachelors also live by themselves. Hm--I live with my mom. I think that counts. Also, I like to make weird food combinations. Bachelors eat weird things like eat pasta and ketchup."

Me: *dying laughing* "Hold on, I have to write this down."

Him: "Well, I'm gonna go sit on the couch and amount to nothing. See ya around."

So, there ya go. All you bachelors out there, hope you make something of yourselves, because my son apparently thinks you're a bunch of driftless squatters and aspires to be one of you. haha

The World's Crappiest Castle and Other Wedding Adventures

2011-06-27T22:49:00.000-04:00

So, as you may have heard, I got married on Friday! (My name is Rhonda Helms now, though I'll still be using Rhonda Stapleton as my teen fiction writerly name.) I just got back from my honeymoon and thought I'd blog with pics about how my weekend went. :D

June 24! I wrote a note on the dry erase board about the wedding. My son added "Bry tux day"...because that's what he was super excited about. haha

Here's a pic of all of us post-ceremony! We had the wedding at our house. Oh, and ignore the serious paleness of my legs. For real...just pretend they're lovely and tan. My husband Chad on the left, then daughter, sister, me and son.

Das cabinstein! We went to Hocking Hills on Saturday afternoon--the cabin is just over 3 hours away from where we live in Cleveland. It's hard to see, but this cabin literally was on the side of a mountain, where we were constantly in danger of sliding to our deaths. Uh, or at least Rhonda the Clumsy was, anyway. Chad took this pic by setting the timer on his camera. Fancy! We chilled there for a while until early evening. Then, we went canoeing. And didn't die, or even fall over in the water--so that was nice. The canoe livery was crazy ghetto, run by a bunch of drunken/drugged wankers, but Chad and I were alone on the water and got to sing to each other while we rowed our way back to the livery.

Here's the hot tub on the back of the cabin, where I pretty much lived. It was glorious. *happy sigh*

Sunday, Chad and I were supposed to go horseback riding, but it rained all morning and the grounds were icky muddy. So instead, we decided to venture forth and find some shenanigans to get into. There was this gift shop called Fiddlestix. Well, with a name like that, we had to go! Unfortunately it was closed--but we still got a taste of the gloriousness from the outside. It looks like a creepy little village with small houses set up based on what was for sale--one house for cookies, one for quilts, one to hold the skins of dead tourists, etc.

Just past Fixxlesticks, we saw a sign for a castle. A CASTLE...in middle Ohio. You guys, I couldn't NOT go to Ravenwood Castle. I sweet-talked Chad into taking me to this amazing dream-like place. Well, it was even more amazing and crazy (cramazing!) than I could have dreamed.

In the front entranceway of the castle was this creeptacular Nutcracker. Here was me, doing my best impression...and likely making my new husband wonder what the crap is wrong with me. haha

I got even more excited when I realized WE COULD GO EXPLORE around the castle grounds. We found a tea room, which looked like a plastic flower store vomited inside it. Here's Chad, waiting for our order. There was a small radio in the background playing music. They played "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera--our server didn't know the song at all. Even though she's the one who picked the music out.

Well. Food arrived. I got the King's Ransom chicken salad sandwich with chips. Here's what it came out to be (okay, I took a bite first)...and this was NINE dollars (and my can of soda was $1.25). I almost died laughing. Poor Chad--his Jack of Clubs was literally white bread with pre-cut deli meat on it. It was so ridiculously overpriced. Our meals total were around $22. For lunch. For white bread sandwiches and Lay's rippled chips. Talk about some ballsy owners! We quickly looked in the gift shop, which was insanely underwhelming--it had a few plastic crowns, T-shirts of Ravenwood Castle, and paper dolls of Prince William and Kate's wedding...uh, ok.

Before Sandwichgate, I'd made Chad promise to bring me back to Castle Crapsylvania for a night's stay. But since lunch cost so much, I couldn't even imagine what a room's price would be. So I let that dream go, and we headed back to civilization. We stopped on the side of the road and took some pictures, including the above one of us.

Our last exploration on Sunday afternoon was driving around the town of Logan...where we saw a sign for Cornhole Dodgeball. You see, just cornhole wasn't enough. Or just dodgeball. This place was EXTREEEEEEME!!

When we got back to our cabin, we had a glorious massage (one of Chad's friends ordered it as a wedding gift). Monday morning, we headed back home. Hocking Hills is behind us, but never forgotten.

Thanks for letting me share our adventures! We had a blast. It was fun, romantic, doofy--what more could I ask for? haha

I'm getting hitched and other news

2011-06-19T17:07:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I've last posted. What HAVE I been up to--what's going on with Rhonda? Here's a rundown of the news:

--My wedding is on Friday. YAY! I'll post pics of the event. It's going to be the most epic wedding ever, on par to rival the royal wedding. *snort* Actually, we're keeping it really simple with a small group of family and friends. There will be bbq catered (I'll be wearing plastic wrap around my entire body), and we have a keg of beer tapped, haha. Yes, that suits me perfectly. Anyway, though my last name will be changing (to Helms), my teen fiction (and probably my romantic comedy adult fiction, as well) will still be published under Rhonda Stapleton.

--My superhero story SUPER ZERO is released into the wild. I'm verra happy about the reviews so far. This book is kind of an experiment--superhero books are a very hard sell in publishing, so I figured I'd take a chance and see how it did if I published it on my own. It's been a fantastic learning experience so far! As a small pimping side note, you can read a sample for free. Just click on the linky above and on the right, you can send a sample to the reading device of your choice. :D

--I'm going to be in a YA anthology (which I'll also be editing)! It'll be coming out in the fall. I'll be alongside a fantastic group of authors. I'll keep you posted with deets as soon as I can.

--My Stupid Cupid trilogy is coming out in Germany, starting next month. Woohoo! The first book is on Amazon HERE, and it releases on my birthday.

--Speaking of the Stupid Cupid trilogy, did you know it's being released as a three-in-one book called Struck? That comes out in December, and it'll also be available as a three-in-one ebook too. I'm suuuuuper stoked.

--Um, what else. Well, I'm editing, of course. And slowly writing. I'm working on a YA and an adult novel right now. It's hard balancing time to do both, but I miss writing regularly and am excited to finally have time to do so again.

So, life is good. I hope you're doing well too!

I murdered a spider yesterday

2011-06-02T08:23:00.000-04:00

So, I slaughtered a spider yesterday. It was on the door, eyeballing me with its cruel, hate-filled black eyes. I swear, this is exactly how it looked:

Note the blood dripping from its venomous fangs. Note the sinister eyebrows. Note the obviously EVIL dialogue.

At any rate, it was the spider or myself. So I brandished my chinese throwing stars and severed its head in a move Jean Claude Van Damme would have admired.

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a bit. Here's how it actually went down:

1--I screamed like a little girl
2--I closed my mouth because HOLY CRAP, what if the spider jumped INSIDE IT?!?! HORK
3--I screamed inside my head like a little girl
4--I got a window cleaner spray bottle
5--I hosed the spider like it was on the Titanic

So anyway, the end result was still the same. I'm pretty sure I deserve a medal for bravery. *sniffle*

How to wow an editor with your first 3 chapters

2011-05-26T09:42:00.001-04:00

I've been crazy busy reading submissions for Carina Press (I'm an acquisitions/developmental editor). So I thought I'd do a blog post discussing some of the most common issues I see within the first 3 chapters (which is how I base my decision on if I want to read the full or not). By avoiding these issues, you can keep your manuscript from getting rejected during the initial evaluation and lure me into wanting to read more:

Without further ado, here we go:

--Too much plot, not enough character. I looooves me a good plot-driven story, but when you're throwing way too much plot in at the beginning it's not only disorienting, it usually also means your characterization is too thin. For me, it's all about falling for the characters. If I don't love your characters, your plot can kick ass but still not pull me in. If I don't care about the protagonists, I won't care about whatever they're doing or going through.

--Too much introspection. On the other side of the coin is when authors have TOO much navel-gazing, meditation, deep thinking, etc. by their main characters. If your character isn't doing anything for several pages because he/she is musing on his/her past, on how he/she is feeling, etc., it's going to bore me. There is a delicate balance that must occur between plot and character, especially at the beginning. At best, you have 5 pages to hook me.

--Too much info drop. I rarely see the opposite problem, where further info/orientation is needed to understand the plot, but it does happen occasionally. More often though, I tend to see everything and the kitchen sink thrown into the first chapter. I only need enough info on the character's past, on the plot, etc. to hook me. As a reader, I trust you will unravel the rest of the info throughout the novel where it's needed. I don't need to know about your character's damaged past with her mom, her memories of shoe shopping with her bff, how many boyfriends she had in high school, etc.

--Poor dialogue. There are several dialogue issues I want to cover (and of course, some of this will depend on the nature/genre of the story you're writing, your characters, etc):

Sometimes I see authors put too much info drop in dialogue, which is awkward and comes across as soap-operaish. If your characters already know it, don't put it in dialogue. "But Jimmy, as my twin brother you should know that our mom jumped off a cliff last year!"
Too much proper name/nickname/job title use. How often do people really say each other's name in real life? In dialogue, I see this all the time. "Yes, Doctor. I know, Doctor. That's true, Doctor." or, "Mother, you know I don't like that. I want you to know, Mother, that I hate you. Mother, the chicken hasn't thawed yet." It's awkward and wordy and unnecessary. Trim, trim, trim!
Not enough contractions. Listen to how real people talk--we contract words all the time. Do it in dialogue. "I will not listen to this drivel anymore. I have got to go to the store." It doesn't feel like real dialogue.
Too many ellipses, dashes, etc. "But...I need you to know...that...I love...you." It's way too much. Use them sparingly. Don't have your characters sound like they are taking a breath between words, haha.
All your characters sound the same. People have pet phrases they use, different speech cadences, varying education levels, unique ways of viewing the world and making comparisons of the unknown to things they already know in order to assimilate new info. Play on that.

--Instant love or mega-lust. Let's be realistic...if you're getting a round of bullets shot at your face, are you going to be staring into the eyes of your rescuer and dreaming about wanting to make babies with him/her at that moment? Hiiiighly doubt it. Yes, chemistry is wonderful. Just keep it in a reasonable dose and appropriate to what's going on in the plot. Plus, look at how you've characterized your protagonist(s)--will he/she be more reserved, fall instantly, etc? Those things will shape the romantic arc.

--No chemistry. On the flip side of the above, it saddens me when in a romantic tale, the characters don't seem attracted to each other. Show attraction through body language on the parts of both characters, and internal dialogue/feelings/emotions on the part of the POV (point of view) character.

--Characters turning me off. There's quite a few under this header:

Don't make your character do unreasonable (or stupid, or even dangerous) stuff but try to present it as a reasonable reaction. If your character is a mom, she's not likely going to trust a total stranger with her baby while she runs urgent errands, even if he is mega-foxy. That's an instant turn-off for me.
Make sure your character acts age-appropriate. Don't have your 35-year-old throwing a hissy fit or holding a vicious grudge against the guy in high school who broke her heart--I worry about her mental health if she's unable to get over crap like that, and it makes me lose sympathy for her.
Please don't make your characters vain or arrogant--most people can't relate to that (and if he/she is, you have to work doubly hard at showing the vulnerability deep inside so we're not turned off).
If your character is angry or bitter throughout the bulk of the first three chapters (okay, I'll be honest...if it extends more than the first scene), it's going to be really, really hard for me to be pulled into your pages, no matter how well your story is written. I don't want to read about people whose biggest emotion is bitterness. I see enough of that in real life, haha.
Desperation and self-flagellation is a stinky cologne. If your heroine or hero comes across as desperate--for a job, for a romantic partner, for anything that isn't life-threatening or urgent, it's going to turn me off. Don't make your characters such big downers that we feel depressed reading their stories.
Way too weird characters. If your characters are TOO out-there, I don't feel like I can relate to them, and it turns me off.
"Meh"characters. Sometimes you have a story that's technically well-written, but the characters aren't unique or fun or spunky. There's nothing special about them to draw me into their world, make me feel vested in their journey. One of my fav things is to make a list of odd habits people I "study" (read: stalk, haha) have so when I write, I can use those little details to add fun quirks.

I can go on and on and onnnnn. But I just wanted to give you a taste of some of the issues that make me reject the partial of a manuscript--and of course, it goes without saying that this is all just my opinion, and other editors may feel differently. The stories that wow me, that draw me in are the ones that in general don't make these errors. By not tripping me up while reading, I get caught up in the narrative. And if I find a story I love, I'm totally willing to work with authors on making it as strong as possible.

Have questions or thoughts? Post 'em here!

Diary stories--do you dig 'em?

2011-05-14T14:31:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you guys, but I love the sound of rain. Well, when I'm safe and warm inside my house, that is. haha. There's something about the pattering of raindrops on my roof and windows and outer walls that makes me feel like cozying up and reading.

I haven't had a lot of time for leisure reading lately. Now that I'm doing freelance editing, plus editing for Carina, I'm reading a TON of stories...but all in manuscript form. Still, it feeds the inner book junkie quite nicely, lol.

Tonight I think I'll curl up on the couch and dig into a good story. I started Revolution, a young adult novel by Jennifer Donnelly, and am already drawn into it. The narrator sounds so broken and pained, and it caught me by surprise how rawly she comes across on the page. From what I understand, she finds a secret diary by someone from the past and gets caught up in its story.

There's something about diary/journal stories that always appeal to me. Reading a diary is akin to seeing inside a person's soul in a way that's unguarded, unprotected, unfiltered. Maybe that's why I dig them so much. I keep my own diary of sorts--a poetry journal, where I track all my thoughts and feelings in verse.

Do you dig diary stories? If so, which ones are your favs?

Diversity in YA book tour--lots of great authors lined up!

2011-05-01T12:55:00.001-04:00

Yo yo yo! I wanted to let you guys know of a super-rad book tour I heard about, packed with fantastic YA authors (including David Levithan and Holly Black!). The focus of their tour is diversity--what a wonderful idea!! If you get a chance, go support the authors, say hi, buy a book or two, and have a great time!

You can find full details of their tour schedule online at www.diversityinya.com/tour, but I've also pasted all the relevant info below:

San Francisco | May 7, 2011 at 3 p.m.
— Focus on Asian American YA with Cindy Pon, Gene Luen Yang, and J.A. Yang
San Francisco Public Library (Main Library)
Latino-Hispanic Room
100 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94102

Austin | May 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
— With Bethany Hegedus, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Cindy Pon, Dia Reeves, and Jo Whittemore, and moderated by Varian Johnson
BookPeople
603 N. Lamar
Austin TX 78703

Chicago | May 10, 2011 from 5:30-6:45 p.m.
— With Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, Nnedi Okorafor, and Cindy Pon
Barbara's Books
1218 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607

Boston | May 12, 2011 at 7 p.m.
— With Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Deva Fagan, Cindy Pon, and Francisco X. Stork, and moderated by Roger Sutton
Cambridge Public Library (Main Library)
Lecture Hall
449 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138

New York | May 13, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
— Focus on LGBT YA with Cris Beam, David Levithan, and Jacqueline Woodson
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
208 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011

New York | May 14, 2011 at 1 p.m.
— With Matt de la Peña, Kekla Magoon, Neesha Meminger, Cindy Pon, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Jacqueline Woodson, and moderated by Cheryl Klein
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

Plagiarism--let's blame the publisher? SAY WHAT?

2011-04-29T08:16:00.000-04:00

(FYI--in this post, as with all the posts on this blog, I'm speaking only on behalf of myself, not Carina Press. Nor am I speaking on behalf of the publisher in question, though I used to be an editor for this e-publisher. Just being upfront.)

It seems like every few months, we're hearing about another plagiarism scandal. The most recent one floating around the blogosphere involves a person who allegedly plagiarized an author who I understand is beloved and well-known in that particular genre. I'm not going to mention specifics at this point because as far as I know, there hasn't been an official declaration of plagiarism yet. But once there is (and I'm pretty sure I heard it's in the works), I'll come back and tweak this with details.

The publisher of the plagiarizing author in question has, as far as I've heard, withdrawn the book and is pursuing a suit against the author.

Lots of people are throwing out lots of opinions on how things should be handled--to be expected during something like this, for sure. But one thing I've noticed is that some people are blaming the publisher (if not in full, at least in part) for the plagiarism. Those people indicate the publisher should have caught it before it was released.

Frankly, I'm disappointed and frustrated that people are blaming the publisher. Really? So every single editor in the publishing universe is supposed to intimately and thoroughly know every single book that's ever been published or produced since the dawn of time, so we can recognize, or at least suspect, when we get a plagiarized work?

To be all-encompassing, that means we would have to know, thoroughly enough to identify when plagiarism occurs, the following kinds of works:

traditionally published books
self-published books
vanity press books
books that were hand-written before the printing press was invented
ebooks
books that had a minimal print run (e.g., 1-2 copies), like my Master's thesis, or my first e-pubbed novel, haha
books that were published in every other country in the world
translations of the books that were published in every other country in the world
books that were published in the past but are currently "out of print" or unavailable
books that are currently "in print"
and more!

Okay, that seems a little goofy and excessive, yes? I barely have time to eat some days, much less read (to my everlasting woe). While I'd love to be that familiar, I can't possibly remember every. single. thing. I read. I just can't. The human brain isn't wired that way. Nor could I ever hope to make even a tiny dent in what has been published. Not that I won't die trying, haha.

So, let's look at the other approach being offered up by those who would hold the publisher accountable for plagiarized works: editors/publisher should to take every manuscript acquired (and I assume do the same for works already published?) and run it through a database or Google or whatever to catch plagiarism pre-emptively, before the work is released.

While this isn't a bad idea (and in fact, as a prof I can use this--the school offers databases that store some student papers), it's just not anywhere near possible right now. Did you read the types of books there are out there in my above bulleted list? haha. What kind of database could possibly be created that will hold the FULL, SEARCHABLE TEXT of every single one of these publishing formats in that list, PLUS appropriately translate foreign works into the appropriate language needed, INCLUDING works that haven't yet been digitized?

I'm amazed at the power some seem to think publishers have. Do people grasp the scope of how many books have been published in the past, present, and will be in the future? How MASSIVE this database would have to be, to scan a manuscript against every single word in every single book ever created? How LONG it would take to run a single manuscript through this database?

Editors try to be as well-read as possible (I shovel in as many books as I can when I'm not working on a manuscript--not because I have to, but because I love books like oxygen), but it's impossible for us to catch everything. It's never going to happen. Publishers aren't gods or machines--they're run by people trying to do the best they can.

Authors sign contracts when their work is acquired, PROMISING the work is their own original creation. Are we supposed to assume every author is lying, then? Why even make them sign a contract with that stipulation if we just assume they're all lying? In fact, why acquire authors at all--isn't that too dangerous, given that they could be lying about the origin of their works? Why not just find a stable of people we deem trustworthy, lock them in a room with no internet or other books or any other source material to prevent even accidental plagiarism, and make them write for us?

How far do publishers have to go?

The above proposal is ridiculous, of course--giving extreme examples is what I do best, haha. But my point is, editors and publishers generally do the best they can to provide high-quality work to readers. Stop holding them accountable for authors who are too lazy to do their own creative work.

See, that's why it's good that readers are paying attention--you guys catch things we can't possibly know, because you guys love books as much as (if not more than, sometimes!) we do. That's why I view this more as us working TOGETHER on things like this. Not publishers vs readers. When you suspect plagiarism, research it. Send that proof to the editor or publisher. That's the stuff that gets this plagiarized crap off the streets.

But stop vilifying the wrong people.

Superheroes galore--my adult novel Super Zero is out!

2011-04-23T09:03:00.007-04:00

So, make sure to ch-ch-ch-check it out! It's on Amazon. Don't have a Kindle or e-book reader? No worries! Download the free app HERE to read Amazon ebooks on your PC, Mac, smart phone, etc.

It's also on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks! You can read an excerpt HERE.

And now, a book blurb:

Working for superheroes isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Jenna Peterson, personal assistant to the number-one Midwest superhero The Machine, is thrilled to safeguard the changing crystal, a jewel that grants or changes superpowers. It's supposed to be a cake job, earning her street cred with The League. But someone out there wants the crystal, badly. Can she trust Vigilante, the hot, grumpy hero assigned to help her?

And the word of the day is "creepy"

2011-04-17T13:35:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year when I like to post the most unusual search terms people use to find my blog. And let me tell you, there's some fun ones in here! And some scary ones.

--"single mom writer" -- That's actually kind of cool. Go, single moms!

--"creepy songs about young girls" -- Really? Uh, why??

--"creepy crazy singing with creepy eyes" -- Okay, honestly I have no idea what this even means.

--"father figure creepy" -- I hope you're talking about the song. *eyes someone out there suspiciously*

--"creepy insane music" -- Sensing a theme, guys? How many people used "creepy" to find me? haha

--"stupid" -- Well. I don't even know what to say about that. Meanie.

--"teen angst, activate" -- hahahahahahahahahaha

--"loveline 3000" -- This is rad. It's the made-up device Felicity uses in my Stupid Cupid series.

--"Rhonda Stableton" -- So, so close. And yet, not quite right. le sigh

--"pregnancy workshops in cleveland oh" -- Uhhhhhh....????

Well, regardless of how you find my blog, I hope you stick around and keep reading! Lots of whacky adventures await you. haha

Super Zero excerpt

2011-04-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! Here's an excerpt from Super Zero, my superhero romantic comedy that'll be releasing soon. I hope you enjoy:

The bell jingled when the door opened. We stepped into the brightly lit room, where suits and dresses and clothes were strung up in the background. The room itself was immaculately clean.

“Who is it?” a delicate voice called from the back.

“Mrs. Wong, it’s Jenna,” I said. “I’m here to get The Machine’s uniform. Is it ready?”

“Be right there,” she replied.

A moment later, Mrs. Wong popped up in front of the counter. She had to be no bigger than four feet tall, and she was dressed from head to toe in a tiny pink jumpsuit.

The look on Vigilante’s face almost made me giggle. His eyes were popped wide open, his dark eyebrows shooting straight up into his hairline. I could tell exactly what he was thinking—Mrs. Wong didn’t look strong enough to physically carry a suit, much less run a whole store by herself.

She eyed Vigilante up and down. “What you looking at?” she asked, hostility rippling through her voice. She bared her teeth, revealing teeny fangs no bigger than my pinky nail.

He jerked back, startled. I’d felt the same way when I’d first met Mrs. Wong. She had some kind of morphing powers, but only used them to protect her thriving business. Pretty much every superhero in the district frequented her store. In fact, I bet she even got business from several local villains. Not that she’d tell, of course. Discretion came with the territory.

Personally, I’d give anything to know how she got all those stains out of spandex.

“He’s okay,” I said to her. “The league hired him to protect me.”

“You need protection? You ask me.” She pushed out her chest and poked one little finger toward it. “I win kung fu competition twice in nineteen seventy-four.”

I bit back a smile. “You got it. If ‘tough guy’ here doesn’t work out,” I said, thumbing in his direction, “I’ll call you.”

Mrs. Wong glanced at Vigilante again then dismissed him with her eyes. “Anyway, I get your clothes.” She disappeared into the back, reappearing a second later with The Machine’s uniform in a bag. “Anything else?”

“Thanks, that’s it,” I replied, taking the bag with my free hand. “Just put it on the tab.”

“Yes, okay. Bye-bye,” Mrs. Wong said, her face deceptively angelic.

I almost felt bad for people stupid enough to wander into her lair thinking she was an easy hit—she’d probably tear them up and feed them their own asses.

We left, me snickering behind my hand. I slipped the cooler onto the floorboard and draped the dry cleaning bag across into the back seat then got in the driver’s seat.

“She’s…feisty.” Vigilante folded his long, muscular body into the passenger side again.

“I think she likes you,” I replied, laughing. I tucked myself into the driver’s seat, turning the car on.

“I don’t think she likes anyone,” he mumbled under his breath, “except you.”

“Better not get on her bad side then.” I went to shift the car into reverse, but a loud thud on the back of my trunk froze the car in place.

I slammed it back into park. “Oh God, what—”

Vigilante flew out of his seat and dashed to the back of the car, not waiting to hear the rest of my sentence. I spun around, trying to see through the back window. Two punks stood there in matching dark green spandex, greasy-haired and openly derisive.

“Oh, lookie here,” the blond one said in a loud voice, baring his teeth in an exaggerated fashion so everyone in the free world could see his gums. “This little girl’s got a protector. Well, listen, I’ll take you down, and then I’ll get her. You won’t stop me from completing my mission.”

“That’s right,” the black-haired guy said. He dramatically threw back his head and laughed. “You’re mine, sucka.”

These were guys sent to get the crystal? They sounded like they’d gone through Captain Kirk’s Superhero School for Overactors. But like with Mrs. Wong, appearances could be deceiving, so maybe it’d behoove me not to underestimate them.

I rolled down my window. “What’s going on?” I called out to Vigilante. “Should I come out?”

“Stay in the car,” he called back to me. “I’ll handle this.” I saw the bottom of his trenchcoat flap lightly around his ankles as he stood in the parking lot. He made a formidable picture, standing tall and proud in the stark yellow streetlight, blocking my car from them. I was suddenly glad he was on my side.

With a speed I wouldn’t have guessed possible, the black-haired guy threw a series of knives toward Vigilante’s face.

Holy crap, this was no game.

My heart stopped, and I watched as Vigilante dodged out of the way with super speed, left-right-left-right. The knives sailed safely past his head, clanging into the dry cleaner’s brick wall and falling to the ground.

The blond guy ran toward Vigilante, who deftly grabbed him by the lapel, pulling him up close to his face. “Like flying?” Vigilante asked.

Before the blond could reply, Vigilante threw him across the parking lot. It had to be a fifty-foot toss. Blondie screamed as he soared through the air, his cries echoing down the otherwise silent street.

“What is going on out here?” Mrs. Wong appeared in the doorway, her high voice somehow cutting through the blond guy’s screams.

The black-haired guy had taken off, nowhere to be seen. No doubt the smart move—crossing Vigilante, or even Mrs. Wong, didn’t seem like the best idea.

I ran out of the car toward her, shaking and breathless. “Oh my God, Mrs. Wong, these two guys—”

“I handled it,” Vigilante said, staring hard at Mrs. Wong. He added, “Jenna’s safe.”

She eyed him up and down then nodded slowly. “Better be.” She swaggered back into her shop, looking like a tiny cowboy in hot pink.

“Get back in the car,” he said to me. “It’s okay now.”

Before I could stop myself I ran over and hugged him tight. “Thank you,” I whispered, pressing my face against his chest. Even though I worked for Mason, I wasn’t around when he was fighting baddies, so it was scary watching Vigilante in action and worrying, hoping he’d be okay.

He froze then hugged me back. But just for a moment.

Plot vs Theme--what's the difference?

2011-04-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

I've decided to start doing a regular series on the craft of writing, giving my perspective on how to develop your own skills. As a writer, editor and teacher I have developed my own methodology for analyzing, implementing and teaching different elements of writing, style, etc. I hope these tips will help you enrich your own writing.

Or, if you're a reader, I hope it helps add a new layer to enjoying the stories you buy.

I think I've mentioned before on here that I teach English composition at a local college. In our English 1010 class we discuss short stories--analyzing meaning, looking at the elements that make up a story, etc. One of the things we talk about is plot vs. theme. A lot of students get confused at that part and wonder what the difference is in the two.

So, let's talk about it!

Plot:

The plot is the series of focused events that happen in your story, building toward a climax and resolving at the end in an emotionally satisfying way (well, we hope, right? hah). In your plot, you're only going to show events that are relevant to the main issue. You're not going to talk about EVERY single little thing the characters do, like brushing teeth, putting on shoes, going to the bathroom, etc.--you only show the scenes that move the story forward by revealing something new about the characters, or illuminating a new piece of the plot puzzle, or even complicating the plot, for example.

Your plot generally centers around the fact that your character has a goal, has a reason for wanting that goal, but there's a conflict or problem that keeps him/her from getting the goal.

One fantastic resource I recommend for developing plot (and character at the same time, since the two are so greatly intertwined) is Deb Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict--it spells things out very nicely with tons of great examples. I can't sing its praises enough.

Theme:

The theme is the overall message of your story. There are scads of themes out there, which often tend to be universal, like "love conquers all," or "death cannot be escaped," or "growing up is difficult" or "blood is thicker than water" or "revenge is harmful to everyone" or "salvation is found in love."

For each theme (like "salvation is found in love", for example), there are a variety of different plots you can use to illuminate this message. For example--in Jane Eyre, you could say that Mr. Rochester's story shows how salvation is found in love. It's Jane's love that saves him after he's blinded by his mentally ill first wife when she burns down the house and generally makes a hot mess of his life.

Or, to show this theme in a different plot, maybe a heroine is saved through love because she'd closed herself off and has to learn to open up and trust before she gets too hard and bitter and can't be "saved."

Or, the plot could even be about father/son love--the father is saved from his increasingly obsessive focus on material goods or work or whatever because of the love his son has for him.

Overall, your theme shows an often universal concept/message that gives your plot purpose and meaning.

There are lots of books about theme out there, so check them out and see what works for you!

* * *

Interestingly (or confusingly?) enough, you can have numerous themes within one plot. Looking at Jane Eyre again, we mentioned how "salvation is found in love" could be a theme. It could also be "love conquers all". It could also be "never settle for less than what you deserve," which Jane exemplifies through her stubborn insistence on getting what she feels is right, even when getting lots of flack (and of course, she's rewarded at the end by getting it).

So, I hope that helps. You can have multiple themes within one story. You can have a variety of different stories that all illuminate the same theme.

When I write, I try to think about the overall theme I want to get across in my novel and how the plot can reflect that. When I edit, I try to determine what I think is the theme and see if the story shows that in the strongest way possible.

Any questions? Dish 'em up. I'm happy to answer!

Like Superheroes? Check out my news!!!

2011-03-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

So, I'm craaaazy excited. A couple of years ago I wrote an adult superhero romantic comedy called SUPER ZERO. I loved it so verra much but ended up not sending it out to editors for various reasons (mainly because I was focusing on writing for teens). Anyway, I decided I'm going to e-publish it!

Here's the cover:

And here's what the book is about:

When Jenna Peterson signs on as personal shopper-slash-assistant for top superhero The Machine, she's disgusted to learn of his philandering ways against his wife Rapido, the second most powerful superhero in the area--and he's cheating with Jenna's cousin, to boot! But when The Machine gives Jenna the opportunity to safeguard the changing crystal, a jewel that grants or changes superpowers, Jenna jumps on the opportunity, eager to do this so-called "cake" job that will help her earn more street cred with the Midwest League of Superheroes.

The League pairs Jenna up with a bodyguard, the dark, mysterious and thoroughly grumpy Vigilante. Their personalities are like oil and water but a deep attraction pulls them together, even if they don't fully trust one another.

Soon Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and the list of people she can trust grows shorter by the minute. But when she discovers something even more sinister afoot, involving Vigilante's sexy arch nemesis Dementrix, it'll take all her skills to keep the mad villainess from executing her plan to unmask the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself.

So, yeah. SUPERHEROES. Foxypants superheroes with lots of awesome tools and spandex, haha. I hearts them so, and I had a blast writing this story! I'll be putting it up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc...expect it out in summer of 2011.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it! Excerpts will be coming soon, so stay tuned. Yayyyyyyy!

Authors for Japan auction--bid on awesome prizes!

2011-03-16T11:41:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you've heard by now about the horrific disaster that hit Japan a few days ago. It's a tragedy--not only are they dealing with the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami, but their nuclear reactors are breaking down. I am heartbroken from seeing the images, hearing the terrifying stories.

One thing I love about being a writer is the sense of community, the way writers come together to help those in need. And this tragedy in Japan is no exception. Tons of authors are offering signed books, manuscript critiques, mentorship, workshops and more to aid the effort in helping Japan get back on its feet.

Please consider bidding on auction items. You can read details here and find the items being auctioned: http://authorsforjapan.wordpress.com/. They're donating signed copies of books, workshops, critiques, mentorships, and more.

Please, spread the word and keep Japan in your thoughts.

Need an editor for your story? I'm taking freelance work!

2011-03-07T17:20:00.001-05:00

Seems like lately, I've seen a lot of authors looking for freelance editors. They may feel an unbiased pair of professional eyes will help ensure their manuscript is submission-ready for agents or editors. Or maybe it's because more and more authors are striking out into self-publishing, which is becoming a bigger deal lately.

In addition to currently being an acquisitions/development editor for Carina Press (which I loooove!), I also edit fiction and nonfiction manuscripts on the side and have done so for several years, though I haven't "pimped" myself out about this until recently. I edit pretty much every genre, from short stories to lengthy novels.

If you're interested, please check out my editing website: RhondaEdits.com. I list my rates and services--proofreading, line editing, critiquing, and "the works," as well as query/synopsis/proposal line edits.

Movies and books and other awesomeness

2011-03-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

I did a buuuunch of worky work today and got my editing and other crap done. I had sushi and built an exquisite fire that I'm pretty sure is very manly rad.

Check out the awesomeness of MY FIRE!! I stacked the logs all fancy-like, based on my boyfriend Chad's expertise, haha. I feel so cool, so in touch with my inner dude. Except...that sounds really gross, so let's pretend I didn't say that.

I just watched Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World--have you seen this quirky movie? I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel, but I dug it a lot. All the little old-skool video game refs made me giggle.

On the book front, right now I'm reading two stories: Kate Pearce's Kiss of the Rose (first in a series), which has Henry VIII (I have a minor obsession with him) and his wife Katherine, and vampires and druids and cool stuff:

And Karen Harper's Mistress Shakespeare, which is an imagining of the life the other woman Shakespeare had been betrothed to and who was like his secret wife:

I'm kinda on an historical kick right now--I tend to go through phases in my leisure reading where I read several novels of the same genre in a row. My previous story was Syrie James' Dracula, My Love, which is Mina Harker's personal diary on what happened with her and Dracula:

I love historical novels, and it's a classic genre I always return to. I'll read pretty much any era, any location. Just delving deep into a world, learning its culture and people and practices, fascinates me.

So what are you reading and/or watching?

Single moms, unite!

2011-03-04T12:52:00.001-05:00

FYI: as you guys have probably figured out, I raaaaarely ever post about anything political. Like religion, politics is highly personal, and frankly I just don't care to share my views with the world, nor do I think it's relevant to my readers. :D Except when something is brought up that directly affects me, like this case.

So, as some of you may know, Mike Huckabee (a republican whom I believe is running for President in 2012) recently slammed on Natalie Portman for thanking her guy in her Oscar speech over her pregnancy. You can read the details here on what he said specifically.

To summarize his side of the argument (after all, I teach principles of rhetoric and argument to college students, and a fair rhetorician acknowledges the other side to show understanding of the points raised). Huckabee feels it's inappropriate for Portman to have said that because it's glorifying single moms, most of whom are much less affluent than herself.

According to Huffington Post, here is what he said:

"Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care. And that's the story that we're not seeing, and it's unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out of children wedlock."

Okay. Uh, let's see. How is insulting single moms making the point? How is Natalie Portman being happy over her baby glorifying children out of wedlock?

I'm a single mom. It wasn't a choice I deliberately made; I got pregnant at 19. But let me tell you what, Mike Huckabee--I have a Bachelor's degree in English (creative writing), and a Master's degree in English (literature/composition), both of which I earned while caring for kids and working. I am supporting myself and my two children as best as I can. I have jobs--work that I am super happy with, actually. Yes, I had to take government assistance for a little bit when my daughter was a baby, but should I be ashamed of that? Given the tone you take in your quote, it sure looks like you're trying to make me feel this way. That I'm merely one of a number of pitiful, pathetic single-mom statistics. One blank face in a wave of masses.

This derogatory attitude pisses me off. Really, does he not realize girls and women know that a celeb is going to likely be wealthier than non-celebs? That we'll just be like, OMG, look--Natalie Portman is pregnant and she looks soooo happy...now I'm going to go get knocked up so I can be happy too, because "single mom" is the new black! But OH NOES, now I have a baby and can't care for it--and it's gonna DIE of starvation unless I get the government to help!

How stupid does he really think women are?

How about instead, let's highlight examples of women who work hard to take care of their family. I KNOW I am not the only single mom out here who isn't poor, uneducated, jobless, etc, as Huckabee's statement seems to imply. Instead of ripping people down, insulting them, judging them, how about uplifting them? I have never seen how stereotyping a group of people with wide sweeping statements has been helpful in ANY possible way.

Honestly, this is even bigger than Huckabee though. He's just one voice of many that often get fed to us in spoonfuls. How often are single moms stereotyped in TV, movies, music, literature? We're just lookin' for a baby daddy, a man who will swoop in and rescue us from our AWFUL misery, right? We must live in trailers, dance on stripper poles, shake our little asses to earn baby formula for our children?

My children are loved. My children are well-fed. My children get plenty of time with and attention from me. I live in a nice house and drive a nice car. I have nice electronics and crazy foxy shoes. All bought with MY OWN MONEY, and stripper pole-free, to boot. OMG gasp! You mean...you mean a woman can be a single mom (whether by accident or choice) and STILL make her dreams come true?

YES. That's exactly what I mean.

It's time for single moms to stop letting society dictate our reputations, relegating us to status of "statistic." WE ARE NOT A STATISTIC. We are living, breathing women with good days, bad days, sleepless nights, long work hours, struggles, stresses, laughs, small blessings, huge blessings. We are unique. We are honorable. We are doing the best we can.

NEVER let anyone make you feel bad for it. EVER.

Be proud. Love fiercely. Find a partner if you want. Stay single if you want. Your life is yours! And I promise you, though it's not typically the easy path (and its causes vary widely), being a single mom can be just as fulfilling as any other path that a man or woman chooses to undertake.

It's March, March, Marchity March yo

2011-03-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

Finally, March is here. Does this mean winter is almost done? Well, given that one year we had snow in mid-April in Cleveland, I'd realistically have to say no. But today is fancypants fun day, so I'm gonna say YES, winter is outtie in 3 weeks. WHOOP WHOOP!

So I've been a busy bee! On the writing front, I brainstormed a way to revise a YA story I was working on and sent it to my agent. Hopefully she digs the rewrites. I was sooooooo so sad last year to shelve that work-in-progress because another similar one had sold. But last week my friend Erin and I did some mega-good brainstorming on how to make it different so I can keep with it. I pitched the idea to my agent, did the rewrites for the 80ish pages I'd written, and shipped them off to her. Fingers crossed!

Also also, I'm picking up freelance editing, guys! As you know, I freelance for Carina Press, acquiring and editing manuscripts. But sometimes authors want to have work edited before the self-pub or whatever. I'm happy to help out! My rates are very VERY reasonable--drop me a line if you're interested! I do all levels of editing, from proofing to in-depth critiquing.

Uhhhhhhh what else. I guess not too much. I think I mentioned on here how I have two doxie pups now, right? Well, I've loaded up a few videos on youtube of them being nutbars (my username is giftedrhonda--feel free to check out the link, and friend me on there if you have an acct! Or feel free to get a good laugh at my expense at the glories of raising puppies, haha).

I hope you're all staying warm, staying out of trouble, keeping busy but not TOO busy, etc. :D Talk to you soon! As for me, I gotta get back to the grindstone...edits wait for no man. Er, woman. hah

Grieving--farewell to LK Madigan

2011-02-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

I'm heartbroken and reeling from shock. L.K. Madigan, author of The Mermaid's Mirror and Flash Burnout, passed away yesterday. Anyone who ever had even one conversation with L.K. can attest that she was a bright, bold star. Kind, thoughtful, funny. She faced down pancreatic cancer with a grace and honest simplicity I don't think I could ever achieve.

I've been crying in jags all day--for the loss of her, for her family's aching gap in their lives, for the writing community, for her friends. It makes me sick to think of life being taken so young. Leaving behind so many who will feel the pains of this for a long time.

L.K.'s passing also makes me take a long, hard look at my own life. What opportunities am I wasting? Am I taking the time to stop and enjoy those simple moments of being alive? Hugging my kids close? Telling the people I love how very important they are to me?

To my family and friends--you add more joy to my life than I can ever hope to express. The enormity of my feelings right now is an ocean of wordlessness. But right there in the middle, is you. Thank you for being a part of me.

I don't want to waste another minute being scared to take a chance. Being sad because of stupid shallow things I don't have that really don't matter at all. Being lonely but not reaching out to anyone.

I don't want to waste another day not dedicating myself to the art of writing. Not spending a good chunk of time smiling and laughing. Not being selfish and taking a little bit of time each night to pick up that book and finish reading it.

I don't want to waste any more time putting things off until tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. I will take control of my own life, my destiny, today.

L.K., you and your family are in my heart. Your words live on, and I'm so grateful I got to know you, even if for a little while. So many people loved and cared for you.

In which Rhonda makes some confessions

2011-02-21T14:24:00.000-05:00

So. Yo. Ever feel like you need to get crap off your chest? Like maybe once you release those little secrets, you'll feel better? Well, I'm going to do that today. It's time...FOR CONFESSION!

I confess:

--I have a weeeee bit of a shopping problem, haha. I buy books way faster than I can read them. My shoe collection is crazy talk (granted, they are RAD, but I have too many). I've done great lately in not buying TOO much stuff, but I still struggle with the desire for it.

--I am sometimes jealous of other writers. I write and write and write and have submitted so many proposals but not had them acquired. It's petty and unfair for me to compare myself to others...we are all on our own paths. But my spirit gets down at times and I struggle with maintaining motivation. I don't want to fail--and submitting again means I am opening myself to the chance to fail.

--I worry too much about what others think of me. Does my boyfriend think I'm pretty or smart enough? Do my students respect me? Do my kids feel I'm a good role model? I can't control how others feel; however, I can't seem to stop the impulse, the urge to worry about it.

--I worry about doing justice to my ideas. I get really good story ideas that I think have the potential to be fantastic! But am I worthy enough to tackle them? Do I have the craft the skill to make them sing the way they should?

--I eat way too much cheese. OMG I LOVE CHEESE.

--In fact, I dig too much cheese, wine, burgers, fries, etc. haha. I am very decadent with my food.

Ah. It actually feels good, to be honest, to get those confessions off my chest. There are a billion more I'm sure I could say, but some things are best kept to one's self. :D Anyway, thanks for letting me talk, and feel free to drop your own confessions in here! It's good for the soul...

Finding my inner man--uh, that sounds gross, sorry

2011-02-13T20:44:00.002-05:00

So, I went shopping at Target today with my daughter. We decided we're going to do a Valentine's day treat for ourselves. Check out what we got:

Yes, that's right. Peach roses and The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: MAN SKILLS. I can't even tell you guys how frothy-dog excited I am to try out this book. I'm going to blog regularly about my adventures learning how to do man things, such as turning over a kayak, breaking up a cat fight, peeing into a bottle when stuck in traffic (um, ok, this one I may not be able to do), and how to survive a bachelor party.

These are life skills I can't pass up the chance to learn. I hope you will undertake this very manly adventure with me. Stay tuned!

And here's to crazy new story ideas, haha

2011-02-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

So, I got a wild, weird hair for a new YA story idea this weekend. It's...well, I'll be interested to see how I can develop it. But I'm happy, because I've been dying to work on a new one, and I think this could be suited to be a series. Whoop whoop!

I've also been a busy little editing bee! Working for Carina has been, how can I say it? AMAZING. I didn't realize how much I would love reading submissions. Stumbling across that gem in the slush pile and being so freaking excited because OMG I READ IT FIRST...and then getting all nervous because I have to write a pitch for the story that will sell it to the publisher. I just sent one such request for a story tonight. Here's to me and the author being successful, I hope! lol.

What else, what else...well, the school semester started, and I swear college freshmen are getting younger. This batch I'm teaching looks like they're no more than 12. Okay, maybe a leeeeetle older than that, but not much. They're cute as hell and super fun though, and they laugh at my jokes. So I'm totally keeping them.

How is everyone's year going so far? Mine's been pretty darn good. Well, I'm nervous because the severance from my former day job will be up this month. And then I will truly be on my own, working for myself. That's a little freaking scary. Okay, a lot. But if there's one thing I am, that's dedicated. I will work as many jobs as I need to in order to succeed.

I have the drive, the determination, and the will to make things happen. And honestly? I think that sometimes can get you further than even talent does. haha.

So to all of you folks out there with your noses to the grindstone like I am, rock on. We will make things happen for us. We can get through this.

Pen name, ahoy!

2011-02-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

So, as you guys know, I'm working on an adult thriller, which is verra different than my published material. Therefore I'm going to be taking a pen name for it. Now, to figure out what the crap I want my new name to be.

I mean, this is no small thing! I am adopting a whole new persona--and assuming this gets published (dear sweet baby Jesus, I hope so!), I'll be undertaking promotion under that name. So it needs to stand out. A solid, respectable name that will look great on book titles.

Here are a few ideas I had:

--Stephanie King
--Jane Patterson
--Nichole Sparks
--Norah Robertson

Okay, those are all jokes, obviously. But while I'm working on this story, I really am trying to figure out a name. As well as a dang title. I hate titling books. haha

Anyway, hope you guys stay safe and warm for SNOWMAGEDDONPOCALYPSE 2011!!

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

2011-01-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

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?

2011-01-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-01-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

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

Life Lessons for Special People Like Meeeee

2010-12-03T09:56:00.000-05:00

So, the last few weeks have provided me with plenty of chances for learning opportunities. Being an open person, I figured I'd share the wealth, in case anyone else wants to learn along with me.

Let the learning...begin!!

--A clove of garlic is not the entire big piece. Yeah, I may be the only person on earth who didn't know that. haha. It's one of those little slices in the bunch, within the whole piece. Luckily, this lesson came via intervention from my boyfriend while I was cooking, or else it would have been a hot dinner mess.

--YOU can be MacGuyver, in a fun way! The other night, my car lock was totally frozen. I couldn't get the key to turn in the lock. So I took a garbage bag from the women's restroom, filled it with hot water, and pressed the bag against the lock for a couple of minutes. Voila, it melted the ice inside the lock and I was able to get in. Yet another brill idea brought to you by my boyfriend, and the letter Foxy.

--New puppies can hold more than their body weight in waste material. You wouldn't think it possible, but I hypothesize a pair of 3-pound puppies poop and pee more than a grown man. I got two doxie puppies a couple of weeks ago and I love them so much, but OMG the steam cleaning I've had to do in my house...sigh.

--Commercials and daytime television SUCK. Being home during the day to work, I turn on the TV for background noise. Apparently, the only other people watching TV during the day are the elderly (life alert rox!), the jobless (get cash today!), the incapacitated (come to our law firm and get justice now now now!!!), and people who like Whoopi Goldberg. I am none of those. Where the crap are good shows??? This is why I live off Netflix.

Anyway, life is fun. I'm writing, editing, teaching, and keeping myself busy. Hope your life is going well! And if you have a fun life lesson to share, please post it here. :D

Freaky subway people and killer food--aka NYC

2010-11-22T14:03:00.000-05:00

So, last weekend I went to NEW YAWK CITY! There was a signing at Books of Wonder for Saturday. My boyfriend Chad came with me because he too is a big fan of the city.

We arrived on Friday (in a LIMO, of all things--we split it with another couple to head to the hotel!!) and went to this really rad place called The Markt for lunch. I'm not sure what kind of place it is, but the food was soooooo fantastic. I got filet mignon strips on a baguette with a hint of horseradish to spice it up. I can't even tell you how delish it was. I think I licked the plate. hah

Check this limo, yo! Big pimpin...

After that, it was adventure-time! The hotel we stayed at was in Chelsea, so we wandered around in the area and window-shopped. And regular shopped too, haha. I tried gelato for the first time, which was so freaking faboo. How could I never have had the gloriousness of gelato before? I weep for all these lost years when I could have been enjoying it. sigh

Anyway, we met with Chad's friend Robyn for dinner at this Thai restaurant called Holy Basil. If you haven't been there, you HAVE TO GO. Seriously, the food was amazing. I had deep-fried bass pieces with this delicious sweet sauce. Okay, it was kinda weird that they deep-friend its skeleton too, and used that as a wrapper around the bass pieces, but whatev. It was still t-t-t-tasty tasty.

Are you sensing a theme here? I enjoyed lots o' food in NYC. haha

Saturday was another wander around and shop-til-I-drop day. For brekkies we went to this place called Chat and Chew--the food was really good, but there were like a billion people in there. So packed! We were all over the place that day. We went to Forbidden Planet, which is a fantastic comic book store that had EVERYTHING AND ITS MOM in there. The nerd-girl in me totally died and went to heaven. Seriously, it was magical. If you love comics, graphic novels, etc, it's a MUST-SEE place.

Also hit this store called Anthropologie. So expensive, but holy crap did it have some fantastic clothes. I got this super-foxy little wool hat that I wore all weekend.

Yo, my hat--it is supa-fly

We hit The Strand (which is a mega-super-awesome bookstore), about a billion shoe and clothing stores, and some kitschy tourist shops. We also went to Union Square and people-watched for a while on the benches. Did you realize there are some crazy crazies in Union Square? Wow. Epic. So, yeah--while walking, I also totally stepped into a big old waft of...THE REEFER. Yes, someone was smoking pot right out there in the open. I'm totally not used to that kind of crazy.

The book signing was a blast. There were six of us teen authors there--Michelle Zink, Megan Crewe, J.A. Yang, me, Jon Skovron, and Jenny Moss. Even more awesome, Jon played guitar and sang a piece from his book that he'd written as a teen. It was so rad!! After the signing, we went to The Hollywood Diner.

And then Chad and I hit Times Square, baybee! But first, to get there we had to use THE SUBWAY. Dum dum DUMMMMMMM.

Ah, the subway. I've seen it in movies, usually where there's some dramatic crime or horrible event happening. Fortunately there was no crime when I went, but I did see a dude peeing onto the train rails. Something in my gut told me that wasn't quite so smart, but whatever. Thankfully he was in a heavy coat, so my innocence was preserved.

We made it alive and whole to Times Square and wandered around, admiring the big fat flashy lights and other crazy tourists and ambiance of the area. I saw a dude in a knit grey dress that was light and flowing and, uh, showed his boy junk very clearly. So, that was interesting.

Me and Chad in Times Square

We saw my publisher's building too. So of course I had to get a pic of me in front of it.

It's me! And Simon and Schuster. But mostly ME. haha

After that, we went to Rockerfeller Center. The Christmas tree was in progress, and I couldn't believe how huge it was! The ice rink was open, and people were skating around. SO pretty and fun!

Rockefeller Ice Rink--so pretty!

Look at the snowflakes on the building!

Sunday morning, Chad and I hit Chelsea and wandered around. We ate at this little cafe that had only one other person in it--I had a bacon egg and cheese panini, which was killer good. What was funny is the dude used the panini press to cook, like, EVERYTHING--even the bacon. haha.

After that, we walked around Chelsea in the cool air, digging the sunshine and neighborhood streets. I loved it. And we had an easy flight home.

Awesome view outside the airplane window

This trip was so, so fun. SO FUN. It convinced me that I totally want to move to New York someday. There's nothing like the atmosphere, the hustle, the buildings and people and even the very air itself. Being around other writers, feeling the vibe of the publishing community is intoxicating. Even now it's pulling me back. But I loved every second of it. :D

Where has Rhonda been?

2010-11-17T15:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, my pretties. How I have missed ye! It's been over a month since the layoff at my former day job. I'm still adjusting to all the ins and outs of working at home. But it has actuallt been an awesomely incredible experience so far.

Here is how a basic day works for me:

-Get up around 6 or 7. If I don't have to teach or if I'm not going out somewhere, I lazily stay in my jammies and luxuriate in my laziness. Haha

-Drop the kiddies off at school. Then it's time to work. I usually do editorial stuff in the morning to help warm up my brain. I also consume possibly lethal amounts of caffeine.

-Lunchy time!! I also do some research, be it reading or watching a movie that sets the tone for my writing. And if I have time I squeeze in a nap. Aaaaaaaaah.

-Time to get my Hemingway on. Okay, not quite, but I do get into a good writing groove.

-Pick up the children from school and then back to work! After I finish writing I turn my attention to class stuff to prep for teaching. Hang with kids, do dinner and nag them into doing dishes.

-Teach the youth of today and warp them into the crazies of tomorrow. Most of them don't dig English so I try to make it entertaining. Or at least end class early. Haha

-Come home and wind down. By now it's somewhere around 8:30 or 10:00 pm depending on the day. So I read or watch a movie. And end up staying awake later than I should.

Right now I am working on two stories: a teen guy one, and a kick-ass thriller featuring a slightly crazy woman. Have I mentioned how much I love my job? :-)

I promise to post more. But until then, keep it off the streets!

TWENTY BOY SUMMER--challenge book banning and enter contest!

2010-09-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Support fellow 2009 Debutante Sarah Ockler, whose teen book TWENTY BOY SUMMER is being challenged as we speak--enter our contest to win one of 38 copies of her book, and stand up against book banning! Contest runs from now until October 3. Check out details and enter here: http://community.livejournal.com/debut2009/1012444.html

Please, don't ban books--they are a great chance for you to talk to your children about REAL issues. Trust me, your children are FAR more educated than you even possibly know. Books are a wonderful way to open up a discussion on the issues your kids face every day.

Censorship is not the answer!

Book signing, October 2

2010-09-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

Howdy, folks! So, I'm going to be in Columbus, OH over the first weekend of October for the Columbus Ohio Romance Writers of America conference. I have a booksigning lined up on Oct 2 and would love to see you there! Here are the details (and there's still time to sign up for the conference--I'm giving a workshop on breaking into the YA market):

*Central Ohio Fiction Writers' Write from the Heart Conference

*October 1-2, 2010

*Holiday Inn Worthington, Columbus, OH

*http://www.cofw.org/conference.html

*KEYNOTE SUZANNE BROCKMANN

*AGENTS and EDITORS:

*Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency

*Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency

*Charles Griemsman, Silhouette (Taking pitches for all lines)

*Leis Pederson, Berkley

*Appts given on a first come, first serve basis at time of registration.

*BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS:

*Suzanne Brockmann Friday night 2 hrs: "The Whole Enchilada"

*Suzanne Brockmann Sat: "Breaking the Rules and Kicking Down Doors" and "Q and A"

*Susan Crandall: "Internet Marketing Strategies that Work"

*Charles Griemsman: "Tips for Writing Category"

*Karen Harper: "Writing for More than One Publisher and in More than One Genre"

*Virginia Kantra: "Putting the Romance in Your Romance Novel"

*CJ Lyons: "Break Free from the Slushpile" and "Thrillers with a Heart: Writing the Romantic Thriller"

*Erin McCarthy and Rhonda Stapleton: "Breaking into the YA Market"

*Full description at http://www.cofw.org/conference.html

*BOOK SALE: Sat, Oct 2nd, 4:30-6:00 is open to the public

*August 15th was the deadline to reg. to be in the book sale.

*Joysann from Barbara Vey's Publishers Weekly Blog "Beyond Her Book" will be attending.

*COST: $118 for COFW members, $128 non-members: includes Friday Dinner & Saturday Lunch.

*Late fee applies Sept 27th.

*ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION OPEN @ http://www.cofw.org/ (Paypal and Checks accepted)

RAFFLES:

*COMPUTER

*TICKET to 2011 ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKLOVERS CONVENTION

*Ads on: Author Island, Books on the House, Books on the House/Kids, Earthly Charms, EyeOnRomance, Noveltalk, Naked Hero, Romance Divas, Romance Junkies, Romance Studio, Savvy Authors, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

*Agent, Editor and Author Critiques

*Memberships to specialty chapters

*You must be registered to participate in conference raffles

*Central Ohio Libraries benefit from raffle proceeds.

thoughts for my high school daughter

2010-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

I dropped my daughter off today for her first day of high school. Of course, this leaves me with lots of conflicting emotions: excitement, because I remember how thrilled I was at her age. Sorrow, because dude--hello, this means I'm getting older (haha).

So many things are going to happen for her in the four years she's in high school. And there are lessons that only living life can teach. But here are a few thoughts I'd like to share with her that I think may help, things I've learned throughout the years:

--There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a strong woman. Some people are going to be intimidated by your intelligence, your big heart, your intensity, and will not be strong enough for you. They are unworthy of the precious gift of your love and affection. Never, ever settle for less than the absolute best. You are a Stapleton: we are worth the effort. Enough said.

--Holding on to girlfriends through thick and thin will get you through more rough patches than you can ever know. They will laugh with you when you get picked up by weirdos, or sit on the phone with you for hours as you sob your way through a broken heart. Your girlfriends will know your secrets and not judge you. They will be your lifeline. Don't ever let them go.

--The only constant thing about life is it's always in flux. Maintaining the ability to roll with the punches, to grasp those opportunities when they arise is the only way to survive. Nothing will stay the same; you just have to accept that and be prepared as best as you can. Some things, however, you can never prepare for. But just remember that as cliche as it sounds, the sun will keep rising, and each day is a new chance to start fresh.

--Appreciate the value of the good things in life--good food, good music, good moments. Those will be all the sweeter and more valuable because you will experience more dark times as you gets older. But if you keep holding on to the good around you, you will never sink under. As horrible as things get sometimes, there is always something worthwhile to focus on. Keep that hope, that positivity alive as best as you can.

Shelby, you've been a true blessing in my life. I didn't plan on being a single mom, but I wouldn't trade one second with you for all the money in the world. You've made my life so rich, so beautiful just by being you, and I thank you for teaching me every day what it means to be a mom, a woman, and a friend.

Love,

Mom

TEEN ANGST powers, activate--form of, crappy love poetry!

2010-08-03T09:22:00.000-04:00

So, today is a special day for you guys. I'm getting ready to let you into a dark, scary place. A place where boys fear to tread, where children run off crying to their parents, where animals whimper and kick their legs in their sleep.

That's right--I'm going to show you guys some of the worst love poetry ever written in the history of mankind.

My own.

I started keeping poetry journals in December 1991, chronicling the ups and downs of my relationships. Every once in a while, I bust those bad boys out and reread them. It shows me how far I've grown as a writer thoughout the years. It also gives me an enchanting mix of amusement and mortification.

Well, let's do some soul-baring, shall we? I'll share a few of the ones I thought were most horrifically sappy or cheesetacular. FYI, I bear no responsibility for any cavities or diabetic comas induced by these works.

Feb 10, 1992 (sophomore year):

I thought of you today,
And the stars shone
brighter, and mother nature
was content.

I thought of you today,
And all I could see, for
one beautiful moment, were
your eyes; and I drowned in
their rich color.

I thought of you today,
And your smile touched a
depth in my soul I didn't
know I possessed; and I felt
like an innocent child who
had looked upon the face of
the sunshine for the first
time.

I thought of you today,
And I simply wept with
joy that you were mine.

I thought of you today,
And I painted a picture,
and every color flew off the
page into your eyes; and
I walked through a park in
the woods, and smiled.

I thought of you today.

Oh dear God, that one was so much worse than I remember. It physically hurt to type that one into here--you guys just have no idea. Aaaaaanyway, let's move on, shall we? Here's a short gem:

October 10, 1992 (junior year):

Is it real this time?
Can things work out for me?
Or is it another star-crossed love?
Funny, I chose the word "love."
Do I mean it?
Does he think it?
Do we feel it?

Oh, teen-angst Rhonda...what a precious little woman you were! So many questions, all unanswered! Here's one more little treat for you guys, one that is particularly reflective:

February 7, 1994 (senior year):

A lone tear slid down my cheek
As I remembered.
The bite of the cold air.
Bare trees with their thick arms spreading over the sky like a blanket.
Leaves crunching underfoot.
You and me,
Sitting side by side on the rock,
Not saying a word.
Not needing to.
The feelings were tangible.
Our cheeks were flushed from the steep climb.
The only sound was our breathing,
And the wind.
When we looked at each other, time
Stopped,
Frozen in spendor.
That day is in me,
Forever.
The mood of the moment,
The understanding,
And you.

Ah, yes. Teen love. Regardless of how much I enjoy poking fun at myself, I actually really dig the fact that I kept all of my poems, which number in the hundreds by now and have chronicled every relationship I have been in since then. It's my diary, my life charted out in snippets of phrases and imagery. Cliched? For sure. But sincere. Heartfelt. Earnest.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

So were/are you a poet? Do you keep some form of a diary?

Win Flirting With Disaster!

2010-07-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

Don't forget--you still have time to win 4 teen books! Just go HERE to check it out!

Also, enter to win 1 of 2 copies of the second book in my trilogy, Flirting With Disaster, on Goodreads! (If you aren't a member of Goodreads, you should totally sign up--it's a great way to see what your friends are reading and to talk about books. Plus, you can friend me on there! ):

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Flirting with Disaster

by Rhonda Stapleton

Giveaway ends August 26, 2010.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

So, DO EET!

Contest: enter to win FOUR teen novels!

2010-07-22T09:33:00.006-04:00

All kinds of goodness this week! First things first--it's my birthday today, and I'm super duper wuper excited. EXCITED! This Red Bull I'm drinking may have a little something to do with that, but whatev. I always love my birthday...it's fun to pamper myself for a day and take the time to do the things I want to do. Today I'm going to Red Lobster and then I may do a wee bit 'o shopping. Woo hoo!

Also, I found out that my trilogy's rights sold in Germany. That's right, people--Stupid Cupid, F lirting With Disaster, and Pucker Up will be coming to a German bookstore near you. Uh, if you're near a German bookstore, that is. Anywho, I'm so freaking stoked about this, I can't even tell you. I hope I get copies of the books, though I really don't know German that well. I know German cuss words though, so that part should be fun to read. :D

Last, but not least, I want to do a contest for my birthday. Cuz I'm cool like that, yo. Therefore, I'm giving away four signed YA books: The Tension of Opposites , The Cinderella Society, Shadowed Summer , and a signed copy of one of my books (you choose)!

And what do you have to do to win this bounty of booky goodness? Simple: entertain me by posting a birthday memory in this post. The most epic birthday memory, as judged by an impartial panel (read: a friend I bribe into it) will win! You can enter as many times as you like. And if you promo this contest on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc, you get an extra entry each--just let me know where you put it when you post your memory.

US and Canadian entrants only, please. I don't want to have to sell a kidney to send you the books. LOL

Contest ends Wednesday, 7/28/10, 11:59 pm. So enter now, and enter often!

Orlandoooooo, the dreamiest of dreamies...

2010-07-12T10:40:00.009-04:00

My daughter and me in the car, on the way back from Universal Studios

I've returned from my glorious, decadent 5-day vacay in Orlando, Florida. I haven't been there since 19*coughitycough*, back when I was a senior in high school and led our marching band down the parade route in Disney. Needless to say, things have changed since then. Plus, I hardly remembered anything at all. So it was all new to me! Woo hoo for old-timers!

Anyway, on my drive from the Orlando airport, I noticed some interesting things. There's a restaurant called Hungry Howie's Pizza Place. The sign shows a kid with red smeared around his mouth. I guess it's supposed to be pizza sauce, but it totally looks like blood. So, that was nice and all family-like!

I also saw some other interesting things--there was a guy wearing women's yellow flip-flops. That was...wow. There was also a huge bulletin board sign advertising vascectomies. And I'm fairly sure I saw a pimp at the bus stop. Of course, he could have been waiting for a bus, but I like to think not.

Somehow, I highly suspect the claim that this hotel has luxury rooms--just sayin'...

Anyway, Friday was spent being all slothy. I chilled in the pool (we rented a house that came with a pool. Yeah, it was awesome.). I visited with a friend who lives nearby. I hung out with the family. Nice day to unwind.

Saturday was THE MAGIC KINGDOM...I had to type that in all caps because seriously, it was magically delicious. I forgot how insane Disney is. haha. We ran around and rode a bunch of cheesetacular rides that gave you diabetes from the sugary sweetness overload. We went into the Hall of Presidents, as well as the Tomorrow whatever-it's-called ride, where you see how this one family progresses through the decades and that one song gets stuck in your head..."It's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow..."

Check it out! The big castle in Disney World

I don't know what the deal was with this dude, but he was mega awesome

I would be remiss if I didn't include something from the It's a Small World ride, haha

We also hit the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (and while I dug seeing Johnny Depp, I was kinda disappointed in some of the changes), as well as the Haunted Mansion. At some point, we tore into a turkey leg (or, if you will, ye olde turkey legge) like there was no tomorrow.

Probably the CRAZIEST thing I saw there was this crazy hillbilly bear jamboree thingie. If you've never been to Disney but are going to go, promise me you will watch this show. I almost got hiccups from laughing so hard. It's...wow. Words fail me. It's creeptacularly hilarious. Plus there's a song called "Blood on the Saddle." For that alone you must see it.

Sunday was another lazy day at the house (we were planning to hit the beach, but it rained). In the evening, we went to a luau in Sea World. The show was awesome--the fire twirly dude was super talented. Um, and it didn't hurt that the guys were all tanned and buff and shirtless. I'm just sayin'.

Monday was Universal Studios...which meant Harry Potter World! It was amazing, you guys. AMAZING. Magical. Butterbeer was incredibly delish--OMG SO GOOD. The whole environment was insanely accurate. We toured through Hogwarts and rode this 3D ride that made me want to hurl. And then hit some other rollercoasters that also made me want to hurl. Really, really fun. haha

Hogwarts! It was so, so cool

Check out the snow and details on the buildings in the Harry Potter World

Tuesday was Epcot. I had to leave for my flight, so I didn't get to hang out there a whole lot, but we hit Mexico, Norway, and Japan in the countries section, as well as some other areas in Epcot itself.

The Japanese area was so cool!

Overall, I give the trip 2 thumbs up. Orlando was a blast. Can't wait to go back!

Rhonda, where hast thou been?

2010-06-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

Oh, my lovelies--I've pretty much fallen off the earth, haven't I? Let me tell you...summer has NOT been easygoing so far.

Over the last couple of months, I've been running around to conferences, doing writing/author presentations, participating in booksignings, I'm in a band now (lead singer, yo!) and we had a gig on Saturday, my daughter's b-day party was yesterday, I'm dealing with being single again, editing for Carina Press, tutoring in the Writing Center, facing my pending layoff in October at my day job, trying to squeeze in time to chill with friends, and hoping to maintain some vague semblance of sanity. LOL

Needless to say, the writing hasn't been going well (read: it's been dead in the water. haha). I'm not one who can write under severe stress--the well just dries up, and all I can do is try to nurture myself and spend time with my kids.

As I'm sure you know, life gets in the way sometimes. The best we can do as writers is try to establish our equilibrium again and then get back in the saddle. I'm working my way back toward that horse right now.

Thanks to all my friends and family who have been supportive to me during this crazy time. And to everyone who has sent me email about my books--I love you all and thank you for telling me how much you've enjoyed reading Felicity's story.

30 Days of Summer--guest blog by Saundra Mitchell

2010-06-13T10:30:00.003-04:00

I'm thrilled to have my darling friend, YA writer Saundra Mitchell, guest blogging on here today! Here's what she has to say...about me! Mwahahaha:

TELLING LIES ABOUT RHONDA STAPLETON

When Rhonda begged me on bare knees in broken glass to guest blog for her, I had to think about it a while. See, Rhonda and I go way back--we fought together in the jungles outside Da Nang, so there's a lot of blood between us. Some of it bad.

I'm not one to disparage my colleagues, but I find it hard to ignore the fact that Rhonda stole my best pair of parachute pants right before I was supposed to perform at the MTV Music Awards 1985. I had to go out in non-acid-washed blue jeans and let me tell you, my pop music career was never the same after that.

But, a forty year friendship-slash-enmity has to count for something, so I reluctantly agreed. After all, she did write three amazing books- STUPID CUPID, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, and just last month, PUCKER UP. Then she published them right in a row (she's always competing--it would kill her to do one book a year like the rest of us.)

And such creativity, too--a series about a girl using a PDA instead of a bow and arrow to play cupid? How does she come up from this stuff? Probably *not* with the aid of illicit substances, I feel I should disclaim. I mean yeah, she did get kind of messed up on Kava that one time we were on reconnaissance in Vanuatu, but everybody's entitled to a youthful indiscretion or six, right?

Anyway, my point is--Rhonda Stapleton is a fascinating character, and I feel quite lucky to have gone on national van tour with her last year. (We pretend that Mandy Hubbard came along as our valet, shh, don't tell Mandy because we're hoping we can sign her on for an international van tour this year.)

I've been very lucky to read pieces of her works in progress--she's an incredible writer, with an extraordinary imagination and talent. And, in spite of the many wrongs she's dealt me, she makes me laugh every time we talk. Rhonda Stapleton is a friend and an inspiration.

And that, dear readers, is no lie.

SHADOWED SUMMER
by Saundra Mitchell
In paperback June 8, 2010
http://www.shadowedsummer.com/

You can find Shadowed Summer (which is an AMAZING BOOK) here:

Indiebound URL:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780440422570

Book Depository URL:
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780440422570/Shadowed-Summer

Powell's URL:
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-9780440422570-0

Amazon URL:
http://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Summer-Saundra-Mitchell/dp/0385735715/

PUCKER UP is now released!

2010-05-18T08:36:00.003-04:00

Hooray! It's super-mecha party day in the chez Stapleton household. Why, you ask? Well, the third book in my Stupid Cupid trilogy, PUCKER UP, is now oot and aboot! So run, don't walk to a bookstore or check out my site HERE to order the book online.

Thanks again to everyone for all the love and support with my trilogy. It's been an awesome journey, and I'm thrilled and honored to be here. :D

FYI--make sure you check out my events schedule on my website HERE. I have some signings coming up, including one at Borders in Barboursville, WV at 2 pm Saturday, May 22. I hope to see you there!!

Stupid Cupid--the blurbs are pouring in...

2010-05-03T12:50:00.003-04:00

So, I've gotten some super-fabulously hilarious blurbs of Stupid Cupid, and I wanted to share them with you:

--"Stupid Cupid is almost as good as cookie dough ice cream." Erin Lynn, author of Speed Demon

--"Way to go, Stupid Cupid--now the whole world thinks all your parents do is have sex 24/7. Haha, I hope you are poking out your mind's eye. Love, Mom." Pat Stapleton, mother of Rhonda Stapleton

--"The best tasting book I ever read." Mandy Hubbard, author of Prada & Prejudice

--"OMG, this book is so awesome. I couldn't have written it any better myself!" Rhonda Stapleton, author of Stupid Cupid

--"Stupid Cupid holds up my crooked couch better than any other YA title I've found!" Saundra Mitchell, author of Shadowed Summer

--"Stupid Cupid: dishwasher safe, and won't explode in your microwave!" Kristina Springer, author of The Espressologist

As you can see, raves all around!! haha. Make sure to check out Stupid Cupid, its sequel Flirting With Disaster, and the last book of the trilogy Pucker Up (which comes out on May 18)!

Easy Like Sunday Evening...

2010-04-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

I had a great weekend--got a bunch of Carina Press editing stuff off my plate and with the copyeditors/formatters. Graded a billion papers. Had my son's super-rad 11th birthday party (with a mad scientist theme). Spent quality fun time with my sister and her friend. Spent time with a good friend of mine too. Overall, 2 thumbs up!

Can't believe in less than 30 days, my third book (Pucker Up) will be out. There's something absolutely insane about thinking I will have 3 books published. LOL. Insane, and yet absolutely cool. It's a real blessing to have that dream come true. And I'm honored that people are reading my work and emailing me about it! I have gotten some fantastic fan mail. :D

I'm planning a big fat fatty contest for Pucker Up, so keep tuned! Things have been freaking nutso for me the past month, but they are starting to get more under control. So I can put my attention back on my books, where they belong. YAY!!

ps--dude, I still owe you guys for your entries to my contest idea contest. YAR, I haven't forgotten! I hope to get that taken care of. LOL

Ups and Downs

2010-04-14T15:23:00.003-04:00

So, I haven't been writing. I've been snowed under with work and life and other things. At first, I felt really guilty about it. I'm a writer--I need to be writing! But I also need to be living. And sleeping. And working. And spending time with family and friends. And right now, I just can't fit it all in.

Luckily, my time will drastically free up at the end of the month. I'm counting down the days--I can get back into my groove and set a new schedule, one that allows for writing time. I know this story will be there waiting for me.

Is anyone else insanely busy too?

yar...busy me

2010-04-05T21:56:00.002-04:00

I have been crazy busy. Like, no-time-to-breathe-or-sleep busy. But I saw I got lots o' great entries for my contest. Thanks so much, guys!!

Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. LOL. Well, pretty much...

My Weekend: An Epic Journey in Pictures

2010-03-22T09:45:00.006-04:00

Okay, "epic" might be a wee bit of an exaggeration. But anyway, I had a great and busy weekend! So I thought I'd take some pics of what I did. :D

Friday night, I went to my tattoo appointment. I've been working on a backpiece for almost a year now--this was my 8th session. We finally finished it! It's a samurai girl in front of a mountain background (which was taken from a Japanese woodblock painting). In the sky is a moon and a phoenix. It took 16 total hours to finish the entire piece, and I couldn't be more thrilled with it.

Saturday morning, I got a spa pedicure, complete with paraffin wax. It was delightful. Seriously, seriously good. My feet felt softer than a baby's butt. I was making everyone touch them. LOL

We watched movies all weekend--Conan was first up on Friday (I love the part where he punches the camel, LOL). On Saturday, the manpanion's parents came over, and we watched Inglourious Basterds with them. On Sunday, we watched Independence Day with the kiddies.

Sunday, first thing I did was rock my super-fab awesome Kenny Rogers shirt. Because ya gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.

Here's my workspace, AKA my dining room table. I was grading papers in the evening and planning my lessons for the week. See that green plate? It held delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies. Notice I used the past tense of the word.

Last, I colored my hair! It really needed it. I like how it came out--it's a really nice dark shade. Also, notice those eyebrows, yo--I got them waxed while I was at the salon. Cha-ching.

So, what did you do with your weekend? Anything fun? Dish it!

My son, ze master artiste!

2010-03-19T11:31:00.006-04:00

My 10-year-old son has been working hard on a picture for two days now...he's drawing it for his sister (who is 13). My son is really into drawing, and I am so proud of him for working hard and staying focused on this one piece. He told me last night that he isn't as good as he wants to be, but he and his friend are working together to help each other improve their art.

How awesome is that? Perfect attitude--I feel the same way about writing. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm working on it! I couldn't be prouder of my son than I am at this moment. :D

Anyway, I'm going to be the gushy mom for a moment and show his artwork...he asked me if I wanted to post it on my blog, so here you go! I hope you enjoy. His sister is the big one, and he's the smaller one (see how they're "ready for battle"?):

Thanks for sharing this with me!

Chat to win a 75-dollar Amazon gift card!

2010-03-17T09:36:00.003-04:00

Hi, guys! I'm breaking my haitus briefly to let you know of a cool promotion I'm doing. Fellow YA author Erin Lynn (author of Demon Envy and Speed Demon) and I will be chatting at Bitten By Books tomorrow, in part to celebrate the release of the second book in my trilogy, Flirting With Disaster. RSVP for a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift certificate (This link is for RSVP'ing, not the actual event link--that will be provided on the day of the event): http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=20687

Everybody who comes to the event and RSVP's before the event will get an additional 25 entries into the contest!!

So please, RSVP and pop by tomorrow. I'll see you there! :D Hooray!

SOOOOO busy!!

2010-03-16T15:04:00.001-04:00

Hey, guys and gals!

I'm snowed under with lots of stuff (editing, writing, work, etc), so I'll be MIA for a week or so while I catch up on everything and climb my way back to the top o' the mountain. I will be back soon to check in and let you know how things are going. :D

You guys stay out of trouble, and I don't want to see you in the news! Or on Girls Gone Wild. LOLOL

XOXO!

A Day...in the Life...of Rhonda!

2010-03-11T13:03:00.007-05:00

Let me take you on a journey, dear Reader, a journey from which you will never recover. Mwahahahaaaaaa...

Seriously, now that I'm done rubbing my hands together evilly, I thought it would be fun to show you how exotic and dream-worthy the life of an author is. To make things easy, I'll just take a typical Monday and describe it for you.

Please fasten your seatbelts in case of a bumpy ride. And try not to be too jealous, okay? LOL

5:45 to 6 am -- alarm goes off. Am half awake. Lungs aren't functioning. Smack the alarm off, pee for like 20 minutes, brush teeth, run comb through hair. Dress in the dark so as not to wake the manpanion or my two dogs. Whoops--accidentally breathed too loud. Insane puppy wakes up and jumps, slathers me with drool, then stands by the door begging to get out. Commence intricate distraction plan and slip out and close the door. The manpanion can deal with her.

6:00 to 6:15 am -- check email. Nope, nothing good. Tired of hearing from the people in Nigeria who want me to share my bank account. Guess what, buddy? Can't squeeze blood from a turnip.

6:15 am to 7:00 am -- drive to school in the freaking dark (I teach freshman comp at a community college). Chug a diet pepsi and turn on some kind of upbeat music in a desperate attempt to wake up and be PERKY! Head to my class--always pass by cafeteria that smells like sauerkraut. I swear, it's a perpetual Oktoberfest in there. Print off material for class.

7:00 am to 8:15 am -- teach class. Try not to be boring. Ignore groans of misery when I hand out yet another depressing classic short story.

8:15 am to 8:45 am -- drive to my day job. Chug more diet pepsi. Whee! Arrive at work without wanting to kill too many drivers, pull into one of the last parking spots available, and wave to the smokers on my way in the office.

8:45 am to 5:00 pm -- ride high on the caffeine rush for 10 more minutes, then crash into work coma. Work. Email. Check Amazon rank status. Work. Email. Check Amazon rank status. Yap with coworkers. Check Goodreads status to see if I got any new reviews. Blog. Talk on forums. Work. Email. Inhale lunch. Look down and realize I am either wearing mismatched socks, my shirt is on backwards, or my underpants are inside out. Yap with coworkers. Visit every online bookstore known to mankind to see who is stocking my book, if they're in stores, and if their ranks have changed when applicable. Check Amazon rank status. Cry on the inside because the stupid numbers are going up, not down. Get mad, close browser, try to focus on work. Lather, rinse, repeat.

5:00 pm to 5:30 pm -- attempt to drive home while surrounded by total morons who should never have been given a license. Start prepping brain for writing tonight. Mentally flip off jerk who cuts me off. Then physically flip off jerk.

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm -- eat dinner. Check email. Nag kids about chores and homework. Do editing for Carina. Nag kids some more. Check email. Talk on forums. Review my critique partner's material. Come on, kids--do those freaking chores already! Shove son into shower. Daughter won't stop talking. OMG please stop talking.

7:30 to 10:30 pm -- sit down to write. Son finishes shower and stares over my shoulder. Ask him kindly to find something to do, to which he tells me there's a 25-minute youtube video he wants me to watch. Sigh, close writing document, and watch the video. Then wish I could get those 25 minutes back. Shove son into kitchen for him to make lunch. Pay bills and balance budget spreadsheet. Daughter comes back downstairs and talks some more about her love life. Wish I could gouge my eyes out. Pull wood chips out of slobbering puppy's mouth. Finally, kids entertain each other. Open manuscript back up and get pages done. Then open fav online game-of-the-week and play for a while. Kids return and mock me for being an addict. Shove them off to bed. Pour a glass of wine. Oh heck, let's make it another. Drag my sorry, tired self into a shower and then to bed.

There ya go, kids. See, if you work hard, you too can lead a glamorous life! Seriously though, I know there are TONS of other authors who fit writing in between parenting, working, etc. Kudos to us working folk who make it happen! :D

Blog Tour 2010--Kristin Walker!!

2010-03-09T09:03:00.004-05:00

My next blog tour guest is Kristin Walker, whose book A Match Made in High School came out on February 4. I can't even tell you guys how freaking HILARIOUS this book is. Seriously, you have to read it!

Here's a summary of A Match Made in High School:

When a mandatory marriage education course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life could not possibly get any worse. Until moments later, when her long-time crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very shy, very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks and misunderstandings leave Fiona wondering: is there something her supposed “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than a deep voice and an awesome music collection? And perhaps most intriguing of all, is it possible that Todd Harding could actually have a heart – and a brain – beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

And here are Kristin's answers to my three goofy questions:

1) What was the spark of inspiration for this story? Tell us what event, or idea, or dream got this book started.

-I was looking for a topic for a funny young adult novel, and the idea of a marriage education class popped up as I woke one morning. And if "write what you know" is really a mantra for writers, then I thought this idea could work, since I have many years of experience with marriage.

2) What food did you looooove getting from the cafeteria at lunch in high school, and why? (or if you didn't eat cafeteria food, what was your favorite brown-bag lunch?)

-As I remember, every day I ate an iceberg salad with ranch dressing and saltines crumbled on top. I don't remember loving it though, and I can't think of anything else I ever ate. My friend Anita and I were perpetually on a string of bizarre diets. One time we ate nothing but Jell-O for days.

3) What is your absolute favorite part of being a writer?

-Honestly, the very best part of it has been making friends with other authors, especially the Debs. I can't even put into words how much it has meant to me to laugh, discuss things, learn, commiserate, and go through our authorial debuts together. A very close second is getting good reviews. Those are fab.

You can snag a copy of A Match Made in High School at Amazon HERE. Best of luck, Kristin!

Flirting With Disaster contest--winner!

2010-03-08T09:06:00.004-05:00

We got some freaking HILARIOUS entries, as well as some cringe-worthy ones that made me wince. Nice job, you guys!! I feel like I was let into your secrets, and I promise to use that info for good and never for evil. :D

However, there can be only one. One winner. One big kahuna. And here it is, the winning entry:

For some reason the hubs thinks I'm horribly allergic to oven cleaner fumes. I
don't know why he thinks this but I've never corrected the assumption either. I
haven't had to clean an oven in over 10 years! :)

That was by Rhonda Cowsert (what a LOVELY first name, if I may say so! haha)! You won the big prize of a signed copy of my book, plus a $50 bookstore gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice! Please email me at rhonda at rhondastapleton dot com with your snail mail address and choice of bookstore.

I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who entered. You guys are AWESOME! And don't forget--Flirting With Disaster comes out TOMORROW!! WOO HOOOOOO!!!!!

There's still time to win Flirting With Disaster!

2010-03-04T12:24:00.002-05:00

Don't forget--there's still time to win a signed copy of Flirting With Disaster (book 2 in my Stupid Cupid trilogy, releasing March 9), as well as a $50 bookstore gift certificate! Go HERE and give me your best confession. You have until Sunday, March 7 to enter. :D

Blog Tour 2010--Stacey Jay!

2010-03-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

My next blog tour guest is Stacey Jay, whose book Undead Much? came out on January 14. I can't wait to read this next installment in the Zombie Settler series!

Here's a summary of Undead Much?:

Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues...

A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.

Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still…things could be worse…

Oh yeah, right:
1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.
2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocolypse. Check.
3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.
4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.
I’m going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I’m learning that’s not something Zombie Queens can take for granted.

And here are Stacey's answers to my three goofy questions:

1) Cage match: your main character vs. Urkel. Who would win?

-Megan, hands down. She lays the smack down on zombies on a daily basis. A freakishly annoying nerd doesn't stand a chance.

2) Name 3 things you can't live without.

-Love, laughs, and red wine.

3) What book have you read that you totally wish you'd written?

-"White Oleander" by Janet Fitch. It was a gooood one.

You can snag a copy of Undead Much? at Amazon HERE. Best of luck, Stacey!

Blog tour 2010--Erin Dionne!

2010-03-02T12:30:00.004-05:00

Several of the 2009 Debut authors have new books coming out in 2010, and we decided to do a mini-tour! My first blog tour guest is Erin Dionne, whose book The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet came out on January 7. I love Erin's writing, and I bet this book is hilarious!

Here's a summary of The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet:

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that's not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet's genius sevenyear- old sister will attend middle school with her-- and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she--like her family--is anything but average.

And here are Erin's answers to my three goofy questions:

1) Cage match: your main character vs. Urkel. Who would win?

-Hmmm...Hamlet would win, totally. She'd throw out some Shakespeare quotes to stun him, then go for the jugular.

2) Name 3 things you can't live without.

- Ice cream/frozen yogurt
- A book to read
- A pen and notebook. I carry one with me everywhere!

3) What book have you read that you totally wish you'd written?

-*sigh* THE HUNGER GAMES. Suzanne Collins, you rock!!

You can snag a copy of The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet at Indiebound HERE. Good luck, Erin!

Why wasn't I wearing pants?

2010-03-01T09:26:00.004-05:00

I tend to have really weird and vivid dreams. Like the other night, I dreamt I was going down a flight of stairs in a hallway and suddenly realized I wasn't wearing pants. People at the bottom of the stairs were staring up at me. So I did the jedi finger-wave mind trick thing on them and said, "You will not remember that I have no pants on."

Yeah, I'm thinking I should stop eating paste before bedtime.

Seriously though, I tend to notice certain themes in my dreams--I have a lot of flying dreams, where I'm soaring from tree to tree, exhilarated and free and light as a feather. I also have frequent dreams about being pregnant. Family factors into my dreams as well--my kids, the manpanion, and my mom/dad/sis make a lot of guest appearances. And I often have dreams where I'm embarrassed about something or another.

I don't know why, but my dreams are sometimes realllllly out there. Do they play into my creativity--are they a cause, or an effect of my writing? Who knows. But they do give me a good chuckle every once in a while.

Anyone else have cracked-out dreams? What's the weirdest dream you've had?

Win STUPID CUPID, MILES TO GO, and an iPod shuffle!

2010-02-23T20:07:00.005-05:00

My editor told me they were going to do a cross-promotion with Lipsmacker.com, but I wasn't quite sure what that meant...until I looked on their website this evening. And OMG, I am so freaking excited!!!

Lipsmacker.com is doing a giveaway of a copy of my book STUPID CUPID, a signed copy of Miley Cyrus' book MILES TO GO, and an iPod, among other prizes!! Click HERE to see the prize list and to enter.

CHECK IT OUT, you guys!!! This is the coolest. Whoop whoop! Yes, that is me shaking my butt--don't judge me. LOL

Breaking the writing rules--is it really a crime?

2010-02-22T12:48:00.007-05:00

I was talking with a friend earlier today about some advice she'd been given regarding the "rules" of writing. I got really ticked off because the advice she got from another published author painted anyone who used this one particular technique as an amateur.

For those of you who write, I'm sorry to say there are no firm rules about writing. And I'm also thrilled to say there are no firm rules about writing.

Let's take a common example. One of the so-called cardinal rules is to not begin your novel with a prologue. Guess what--plenty of books begin with them. Yes, some are crappy. But some are amazing. Good and bad writing BOTH come with the territory. Is it fair to condemn all prologues as being bad for a story just because some people don't write them effectively enough?

Oh, here's another one--you must never headhop! But wait...there are authors who do this too, including Nora Roberts. I don't see her editor smacking her on the hand for this faux pas. LOL

Well, crap--what about not beginning your story with a dream, or not starting out your book by talking about the weather? You mean there are authors who do that too? Really?

What gives? How can there be all these schools of thought that think their way is the only right way?

The problem for me is, when you start issuing hard and fast rules about what can and can't be done in writing, you narrow writing down to what YOU think it should be. You remove the freedom and individual voice and talent and craft that other people bring to the industry.

As for me, I can give you guys all the writing advice in the world, but in the end, all I can tell you is what works for ME. You have to decide what works for you--and sometimes, you get great pointers or tips by seeing what authors do. But sometimes not.

And there is NOTHING wrong with that.

No, I don't head-hop. I don't typically start stories with a dream sequence, or with description of the weather. But I'll never say never, because every story is its own thing and requires its own special way of being told. And if I close myself off to possibilities because other writers say it's "wrong," how can I possibly grow and develop my craft?

So for those of you who write, I advise you to yes, take the time to learn what other writers do. See what works for them. Learn the guidelines and so-called rules just so you are aware of them, understand what makes them work and not work. But play around with your prose and discover what works for you and makes your writing most effective. And don't hold yourself to one set of rules. Because guess what--there aren't any.

To me, that's what is so beautiful about being a novelist.

Don't forget--I'm having a super-awesome launch contest for the second book in my Stupid Cupid trilogy, Flirting With Disaster. Check it out HERE (all you have to do is leave a confession in the comments!). You can win a signed copy of Flirting With Disaster, plus a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice!

Reading, reading, reading! Oh, and reading.

2010-02-19T10:44:00.005-05:00

Did you know I'm having a super-awesome launch contest for the second book in my Stupid Cupid trilogy, Flirting With Disaster? Check it out HERE (all you have to do is leave a confession. OMG I have gotten some AWESOMELY funny ones so far--go check them out, and then leave your confession in the comments!).

Anywho, along with writing my little fingers off, I'm diving head-first into reading. I have about a billion books I'm reading at the same time. I'm normally a serial book monogamist--I like digging into one story and finishing it before picking another up. But for some reason I have started, no kidding, over half a dozen books (they're a mix of YA and adult).

Here's what I'm reading:

--Beastly by Alex Flinn

--Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger

--The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

--The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

--Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliossoti

--Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

--Soulless by Gail Carriger

Are you reading anything right now? I'm always looking for good book recommendations. Not that my poor bookshelf can handle anything. Good thing I have a Sony Reader. Mwahahahaaaaaa...*rubbing hands together evilly*

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER launch contest--enter to win!

2010-02-17T11:06:00.005-05:00

We're less than 3 weeks out from my next release, so it's time to kick off my Flirting With Disaster book launch contest! Here's what's up for grabs:

--a copy of Flirting With Disaster, signed by yours truly
--a $50 online bookstore gift card to the store of your choice

What do you have to do to enter this contest? Simple--confess something to me. It can be anything, from dishing about a person you like (feel free to use pseudonyms to protect the guilty, haha), to baring all about how you totally stole your sister's clothes as you were growing up (I'm looking at YOU, Lisa). In Flirting With Disaster, Felicity is DYING to confess her feelings to Derek, the guy of her dreams. But something always holds her back.

So, enter my contest by leaving a comment in this thread with your best confession and an email address where I can reach you.

Here are the contest deets (aka, the fine print), subject to updating as needed--so please check back often:

--Entrants must be at least 13 years of age.
--The contest is open worldwide.
--One comment entry per confession, but please feel free to enter as many times as you like (include an email address with each entry). Entries must be made in this post, or they do not count toward the contest.
--Confessions must be 100% your own original material.
--By entering, you grant me permission to display your confession. Sooo, you may want to be careful about what you confess. And PLEASE keep it clean. I reserve the right to delete confessions that are icky or inappropriate.
--Contest winner will be picked by a panel of judges (not me!), who will decide which confession wins, based on creativity/uniqueness/earnestness/etc.
--If you are chosen as the winner and do not respond to me within 7 calendar days, I reserve the right to have another winner chosen.
--Contest begins today and ends Sunday, March 7, 2010, 11:59 PM EST.
--Feel free to email me with any questions: rhonda at rhondastapleton dot com

Please pass this on and tell everyone you know! And thanks so much for entering. I am greatly looking forward to reading your deepest secrets. :D

The World's Least Romantic Dates

2010-02-12T08:45:00.003-05:00

Earlier this morning, my mom overheard the funniest conversation at work. This guy was talking about Valentine's Day on Sunday, and he was so disgusted because he has to take his girlfriend to see the movie Valentines Day. But he wants to see the Wolfman movie instead.

The guy was griping, "WHAT IS NOT ROMANTIC ABOUT A WOLF MOVIE? Come on, you have guys in it, you have girls in it, you have kissing probably."

This made me die laughing when I heard it (especially since he was apparently very earnest in his logic), but it got me and my mom thinking. I'm sure some of us have been on dates where the other person thought it was romantic, but we didn't.

For example, I remember back in college how this guy asked me out on a lunch date. As we were eating our sandwiches, he proceeded to tell me about a time he was busted by his mom with a girl he was, uh, getting busy with (who just so happened to be a stripper, of course!). I have no idea what in his mind made him think that was a good first-date conversation topic.

So, how about you--have you been on a so-called "romantic" date that you thought was a dud, but the other person thought was awesome?

Be Our Valentine--winner!

2010-02-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

We have a winner! Beverly Stowe McClure, please send an email to rhonda at rhondastapleton dot com -- include your mailing address so we can get your signed books and valentines out to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Valentine's Day is coming soon!

2010-02-02T08:40:00.004-05:00

Check out this graphic that my darling friend Chrissy Olinger made for me--isn't it cool? Valentine's Day is just a couple of weeks away. And nothing says lovin' more than a bunch of romantic gifts: candy, flowers, and of course, a copy of Stupid Cupid. :D

Also, don't forget about the awesome Valentine's Day contest I'm participating in! You can win signed copies of Stupid Cupid, The Espressologist (which is ADORABLE), and A Match Made in High School (which is HILARIOUS)!!! PLUS, we'll be including homemade Valentine's Day cards, just for you. Seriously, it'll be awesome. Enter HERE soon--you only have until Feb 7!

Be Our Valentine--Giveaway!

2010-01-31T14:20:00.005-05:00

Got any plans this Valentine's Day? How about a date with THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, STUPID CUPID, and A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL? That's hot, right? You could have all three of us, autographed and in your hands by Valentine's Day. And how about handmade Valentine's cards from all three authors? Hard to resist, I know. There may even be a little chocolate in there for you too, if you play your cards right.

First you have to flirt with us. Just a little. Finish this poem, "Roses are red...", in the comments in this post, or HERE or HERE, for one entry (up to three entries if you hit up all three of our blogs.) No more than once at each blog, though. For an additional entry, tell your friends about this contest and, in the comments, tell us where you told them (one entry for each place you told them--blog, tweet, facebook etc.).

Come on, you know you want us! Win our love! You have until February 7th at midnight EST! We’ll announce the winner on all three of our blogs February 8th. US/Canada only, please.

Rhonda Stapleton Obituaries--REALLY???

2010-01-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

I thought it would be fun to peek at the search terms people have used to find my blog. Some of them are what I expected, like people looking up info about me, my book, my American Idol audition, writing advice, etc. But some of them--well, let's just say I'm scared for mankind.

Here are the top 5 that I thought were most........uh, interesting, to say the least:

--how to spy on your insanely hot sister (I am sooooo not making this up. And yes, this is me throwing up in my mouth.)

--creepy pedophile lyrics songs (I'm sure this one is because I posted my top 10 creepiest songs. But still, not too comforted.)

--i have a drinking problem (Maybe coming to my blog isn't the best place to get that fixed, buddy...)

--rhonda stapleton obituaries (Gee. Thanks a lot.)

--download stupid cupid by rhonda stapleton for free (Heyyyyyy here's an idea: how about you get it from the library if you don't wanna buy a copy? Just sayin'...)

So, there ya go. Anyone else have a site counter on their blogs? Ever get any really weird search terms that people use to find you? Dish it up--I'd love to know I'm not alone in this. LOL

Battling the control freak in me

2010-01-26T09:47:00.006-05:00

I tend to be a bit of a worry-wart. When things are out of my control, I start freaking out. I don't like feeling helpless. I think part of it is because I crave security. I like feeling like I can at least somewhat control my future because of my actions.

My day job is coming to an end in October--they are closing our site down. Yes, I am really happy that I have plenty of time to hunt for a new position, but given the current economy, I worry I won't find one, even with this much lead time. I'm actually having nightmares about juggling 4-5 different jobs just to try to keep up...and it not working out.

Writing is actually the same way: the only thing you can really control is what you write. After that, a lot of it is out of your hands--if an agent will like it and want to rep you. If an editor will see something in your manuscript. If the acquisition committee will agree with the editor. I'm trying to sell another book right now, and I'm working on new proposals like mad. Even selling before is no guarantee you will sell again...which of course, bothers me a lot. But it's something I continue to strive to let go of--the best thing I can do is try to make sure my ideas and writing are marketable and strong.

There's an old saying that goes, "Leap, and the net will appear." This is something I need to work more on believing this year. I'm doing the best I can. I have to trust that I'm paving the way for good things to happen for me and my family. Even though it's insanely scary. Even though I'm trusting in something I can't see right now.

But that's what faith is all about, right?

To anyone else out there struggling with insecure futures, hang in there--we can get through this. ((hugs))

Why 70s movie BLACK BELT JONES is awesome

2010-01-22T12:40:00.008-05:00

The manpanion and I bought a 4-pack of 70's urban action movies for 10 bucks. Last night, we watched one of them, called Black Belt Jones. Okay, if you haven't seen this movie, PLEASE watch the trailer on youtube HERE, and then come back to read the rest of my post. Seriously. You will die--it is made of so much awesome, it hurts. Best $2.50 we ever spent, hands down.

And here's why.

1--The budget. The manpanion and I think it's a fair guestimate to say that over half the movie's funding was spent on glass windows. Seriously, pretty much every scene has a window or two or twelve broken by heads and body parts being smashed through them. And the other half of the budget is spent on this massive car-wash suds scene at the end. I've never seen anything like it.

2--The language. Do you dig, baby? Because the dialogue, man, is hip! The mafia don says "Mamma mia!" when he gets mad, true to Italian stereotype. The n-word is thrown around like a frisbee throughout the whole movie. The whole thing feels soooooo 70's.

3--The love scene. The hero (Black Belt Jones--obviously dubbed because of his mad martial arts skills) and heroine (a super-rad fighter herself) do some weird flirty thing where he comes on to her, but she says any man who wants her has to take it. Okayyyy. Then, they start fighting. I mean, she's kicking the living pee out of him and flinging him all around the beach. They get all riled up during their interaction and end up making sweet sweet love under a tent on the beach (well, after they scared two naked hippie teens out of there).

4--The outfits. This one guy in the movie is wearing what has to be the pointiest, biggest collar I've ever seen. The clothes, they are extra tight, extra pastel and checkered and paisleyed. And the pants are extra revealing...if ya know what I mean.

5--The fight scenes. The soap suds scene at the end is hilarious and super creative. The chick keeps dumping people into the back of the garbage truck--all while she's wearing a shirt with no underpants on. And there are soooo many crotches grabbed throughout the film, you become almost numb to them. The sound effects with each punch and kick and smack are funny and reinforce that super-cheese 70's-movie element that I just love.

6--The random elements. Seriously, I've never seen so many random things thrown into a movie before. Here's a taste: trampolines, polariod cameras, fire extinguishers, garbage trucks, a car wash, a jump rope, barefooted martial arts students, guns, wine, scandalous pictures (which we never see or learn what they contain), dirty money, police cars, soap suds, and red underpants.

Overall, this movie gets a huge 2-thumbs up from me. I can't wait to watch the other 3 movies!!

Questions Writers Ask...And The Answers!

2010-01-21T14:34:00.005-05:00

Okay, you guys asked me some questions about writing, and here are my answers. I hope they help!!

Q: Do you know a good website to find a list of literary agents that would be interested in children's books?

A: Oh, heck yeah!! My fav is Agent Query -- you can do a search by genre and even ask for just agents who take email queries and are currently open. I used it when I was querying! Other fav links: The Water Cooler, which shows other writer's feedback on agents; Preditors and Editors, which shows info on if agents have sold; and Publisher's Marketplace, which costs $20 a month but shows what agents themselves have reported for their sales (If you're wanting to use this to figure out who to query, I suggest maybe buying a subscription for a month and researching the crap out of the site during that time! LOL).

Q: I do have a question about the writing process. You see I have this problem, I write parts of my stories randomly and I can't for the life of me seem to organize myself. How do you do it? Do you plan what you're gonna write first or do you write whatever comes to mind first and then put it all together.

A: I am sooooo a plotter. If I try to just sit down and write without knowing where I'm going in the story, I freeze up, badly. Here's my typical process: I get a kernel of a plot idea and write down everything I can think of about it. Once I've puked all of that out, I look at what I have and figure out first what the main story arc will be (mainly, what are the big plot points I want to hit on). Then I figure out how my character can grow/change within that. Or, I do the reverse if I started off with a character idea. Actually, I wrote a previous blog entry that shows some practical tips on starting a novel, HERE. Basically, I find it works better for me to go in chronological order with plotting and writing, because my story builds better and stronger that way.

Q: If you could maybe offer some suggestions as to how to create some healthy, useful writing habits as well I will be very grateful. You see I have all the ideas in the world, my mind is constantly working but even though I have the time to write I don't know why I just don't sit and do it.

A: The best thing you can do for your writing is write regularly. You have to really force yourself to get into the habit and not give up on it, even if it sucks sometimes. Treat it like a job--you may not always LOVE your work, but you need to do it. What I do is, when I'm writing a book, I write 5 days a week and give myself 2 "weekend" days per week. I find that I can generally write 3 pages in an hour, so I will do either 3 or 6 pages a day, 5 days a week, depending on my schedule. It's steady progress, which makes me feel encouraged. I also have a crit partner, and we challenge each other to send material to each other daily while we're drafting. Being accountable to someone else REALLY helps!

Q: I was wondering how you get/got over the middle-of-the-book what-was-I-thinking I-should-throw-this-out-and-start-over?

A: Oh man, I hate that. We all go through it. I do with pretty much every book. haha. Here's what I generally do: first, I tell myself that the story is a rough draft, and I give myself permission to basically write crap. That means if I'm not happy with a scene that I know needs to be in there, I'll flag it to go back and write later so I can keep moving forward. I sometimes leave out description and focus on bigger plot points/dialogue that I know will need to be filled in later. You can't edit what you haven't written. Likely, when you get to the end and let the book cool off for a few days, you will find lots of material you want to keep upon rereading. The big thing is, don't quit a story because you are afraid it sucks. That's your internal editor, and the editor isn't supposed to come into play until after you've written. You will crush your creative side if you let the editor dominate!!

Q: I have a question on behalf of my hubby. He's written a book and is in the process of soliciting agents. He feels that maybe his synopsis/query letter needs to be re-evaluated, but he's at a loss as to how to go about it...any suggestions?

Ooooooh good question! There are lots of books and websites out there that show you how to draft a query letter. Actually, I posted mine HERE, so feel free to take a peek. In that post, I show what I wrote and broke it down, telling why I wrote it the way I did. Maybe an example would help? Also, have him join a writing group/forum--getting outside perspectives can be invaluable.

Q: How do you pull past the "OMG I SUCK" feeling?

A: Wait, you mean you can get over that feeling? ROFL. I don't think I ever will. It's just the nature of the business. It's soooo hard, especially if you start comparing yourself to others--wow, their description is better. Their guys are hotter. Their characters are more compelling. It goes on and on. What I try to do to counter that feeling (well, as best as possible) is tell myself that I am on my own path. And with each book I write, I hone my craft better and better. None of us are perfect. But if we are serious about it, we should continue to learn and grow. Study those authors who are really good--dissect their stories. See the mechanics of how they make that magic happen. And see how you can use those techniques in your writing!

Q: Any favorite books on craft?

A: I have lots! Strunk & White's The Elements of Style is a fav. I also love my Flip Dictionary--it's a great resource when I can't think of the right word I want to say. Things Your Grammar Never Told You is a funny book that makes grammar non-boring. Writer's Digest makes tons of great reference books--all from drafting your first novel, to finding an agent, to honing your craft, to developing plot and character, to researching careers. Definitely dig into them!

Thanks so much to everyone for the FABOO questions! If you have anything you want to ask, please add the question in the comments, and I'll update this post with my answers. And PLEASE, feel free to jump in and share your own advice as well! I'm always on the lookout for new tips and tricks. :D

Stupid Cupid super fab awesome launch party pics

2010-01-19T10:22:00.004-05:00

So, last week was the launch party for Stupid Cupid at the Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-South branch). It was a freaking BLAST--we decorated the entire place with hearts and red and pink and all kinds of ooey gooey girly stuff. Almost 100 people showed up over the course of the evening, and the bookseller from Joseph-Beth Bookstores sold out of the stack of my books that she'd brought. Whoop whoop!

Anyway, here are some pics:

My super-festive cake. Isn't it cute? There wasn't much left of it after the party. And the big cookie I'd gotten was completely gone.

A pic of my daughter Shelby on the left--her heart says "Author's Daughter". Her friend Alex is beside her, wearing a heart that says "friend of author's daughter". And Cassidy, whose heart says "cousin of author's daughter", is in the front. They just wanted to make sure everyone knew who they were. haha

And here I am in the middle, wooing the crowd with my unbelievable...uh, crowd-wooing skills, I guess. During the party, I read a scene from my story, which was so fun and scary at the same time.

Here's a pic of me and my mom. Awwwwwww look how engrossed we are in whatever the crap we were talking about. And my friend Athena brought me flowers--wasn't that sweet? :D

Another crowd pic. My son Bryan is in the blue coat, and my aunt Lou in the red hoodie. When I was signing, the line was so long it was out the door. No kidding--I was floored!

Thank you again to everyone who came to my launch party. You made it a blast for me. It's something I will never, ever forget. ((hugs))

Use technology to help those in Haiti!

2010-01-14T11:47:00.003-05:00

I know my blog posts are usually light and fun, but this is different. If you haven't heard yet, Haiti suffered from a horrendous earthquake--they guestimate that up to 50,000 people have died, with millions more injured. And those who have survived are having a very difficult time finding food and water. They will die without aid.

But we can help bring much-needed funding to workers and the Haiti people, and it's super easy. To help, you can text the word "yele" to 501501 to send $5 (visit http://www.yele.org for more deets, and to donate via credit card).

You can also go to http://www.foodforthepoor.org and donate via credit card (in the comments field, write "haiti earthquake" so the $$ will go to them).

Also, you can donate to Red Cross: $10 donations can be sent to the Red Cross International Relief Fund by typing HAITI and sending it to 90999.

Please check out this heartening article, talking about how much money they've raised in the last two days JUST through text messages! http://www.sphere.com/nation/art...icle/text-messages-raising-big-money-for-aid-to-haiti/19316793

I feel blessed that my family and friends are safe and sound. And I'm so, so heartbroken for those poor people in Haiti. Luckily, we can reach out to them in a way that will be useful and life-saving. This is a simple, but impactful way we can help them get food and water, and hopefully they can find a way to pick up the pieces after such a wretched disaster.

Ask your writing questions here!

2010-01-13T12:15:00.004-05:00

What questions do you have about writing and/or being an author? Anything you're dying to know or want help with? I love helping writers out on their journey, especially since I got so much help myself on my road to publication.

So, if you guys have any questions or want to know anything, let me know in the comments! I'll blog about it.

On a side note, my book launch is tomorrow night! Thursday, Jan 14, 6:30 pm at the Parma-South library in Parma, Ohio. If you can make it, please swing by. It should be fun, yo. :D

My Wild Booksigning Adventures in Canada

2010-01-11T08:53:00.007-05:00

Oh, Canada. A country full of fun, and magic, and 85,000 wineries.

This past weekend, I went to do my very first booksigning at Indigo bookstore in Toronto, and I was in fabulous company: fellow 2009 Debut authors Lara Zielin (author of Donut Days), Megan Crewe (author of Give Up the Ghost), and Neesha Meminger (author of Shine, Coconut Moon) were also there. Sarah Ockler (author of Twenty Boy Summer) was also supposed to come, but unfortunately the weather prevented her from making it.

First off, here's a list of things I learned during my trip to Canada:

--Wineries are evidently super popular. Even Wayne Gretsky's estate has one. And they advertise wine tours about a billion times right on the QEW (the big highway that will take you up to Toronto).

--There is a place called Ball's Falls. Also, I can't say Ball's Falls without giggling like a 10-year-old boy.

--Smarties candy in America and Smarties candy in Canada are completely different things. Smarties in America are those small, chalky candy discs. In Canada, however, they are chocolate candies, kind of like M&Ms.

--Canadians are very open-minded about new and different snack foods. For example, they have ketchup-flavored chips (yum, I've had these before and haven't found them anywhere else). They also have pickle-flavored chips. I find this fascinating and plan on trying the pickle-flavored ones when I go back.

--I need to go back to 4th grade. It was a real challenge translating kilometers to miles. And you can forget about translating liters to gallons. I went to fill up my car, which was 100.7 cents (well, I think it was cents) per liter. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how many liters were in a gallon. Plus, it was like minus 300 degrees outside, and my brain was frozen. I finally just filled it up and hoped for the best.

--In Canada, no one goes the speed limit. At first, I had the hardest time getting past the mental block of going 100, even though it was Km and not miles. But when I finally did, people were still zooming right by me. Apparently, Canadians go up to 9 Km over the speed limit--the theory is to just stay with the traffic speed, and you'll be okay. Good to know.

--Canadian drivers are super nice. No one honked their horn at me, even though I drove like a moron and got lost a couple of times. One guy did sadly shake his head at me, though.

--Spelling is rad in Canada. I love how they write favourite, or centre. I want to start writing like that from now on.

--Canadians really do say "oot" and "aboot," instead of "out" and "about." And it's soooooo cute.

The book signing itself was so much freaking fun. And let me just say that Chapters/Indigo is an incredible store!! We went to the one in Eaton Centre in Toronto for our signing. They treated us like royalty--ordered a lot of copies for stock, made sure we were happy, and checked on us frequently. They also learned about all our books so they can hand-sell them.

Here's a pic of our books on display--check out those faboo covers! Also note, the yoga mats and accessories were on sale for 20% off behind us.

The signing ran from 2-5 pm and was SO much fun. Megan was a total expert at the signing thing--she had us do rotations of standing by the door and handing out bookmarks to draw people over to our table. None of us sat down; we stayed busy talking and walking around the front of the store.

I sold several books, and there were even people who brought in their own copies for me to sign! How cool is that?? Thank you all SO much for visiting me--I greatly enjoyed it!

Megan is so cool in person. She's kind of quiet, but very intense and smart. And she gave me lots of great tips about how to work a booksigning.

Neesha is adorable. She's so fun and witty. And everyone and their mom came out to visit her--it was so cute.

Lara is my twin, no kidding. She and I are eerily alike, and we bonded instantly. I don't think Canada was quite ready for the power duo of the two of us, LOL.

Here's a pic of all four of us--from left to right, Lara Zielin, Neesha Meminger, me, and Megan Crewe.

While we were working the table, I tried at first to pretend I was an American ambassador, but I did a pretty bad job representing our country, and no one was impressed. Then, Lara and I decided to pretend we were American royalty--I was the Queen of Cleveland, and she was the Empress of Michigania. I don't think anyone bought it, though.

I had a lot of fun exploring different ways of drawing people over. I announced quite loudly that Edward Cullen had totally read our books and gave them to Bella as an early Valentine's day present. At times, I sang and promised to stop singing if people bought a copy of Stupid Cupid. I also told guys that the only gift their girlfriend wanted for Valentine's day was Stupid Cupid. I'm still honing my technique, I guess.

We had two publicity personnel and the director of sales from Simon and Schuster there as well--I loved them! They took pictures and were so much fun to talk to. :D

After we were done, we all signed stock. I HAD to take a photo of this, with the "signed by author" stickers on our books. Plus, look how many copies of Stupid Cupid they ordered!! That was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to throw them on the floor and roll around in them, but I don't think anyone would have approved that. The guy on the right is Andrew, and he's super fun and a great bookseller. :D

Anyway, after the signing, Neesha had to take off, so Megan, Lara and I went to this fabulous Indian restaurant and chowed down. The bread they gave me was the biggest piece of bread I've ever seen in my life. It had to be twice the size of my head. Seriously, I can't tell you enough how ginormous it was.

Then, Lara and I headed back to our hotel, checked in, and promptly headed out to find a bar for some chillaxing and yapping time. The first place we saw had like 85 doors, no kidding. And there was a sign on every door that said no entrance--find the main entrance door. After circling the block, we decided it was either one of those "how to you keep an idiot busy for hours?" kind of thing, or a trick against Americans. So we went to an Irish bar that had one door and shared some wine.

The next morning, Lara and I went to the Over Easy (which she thought at first said Oyster Easy, LOL) restaurant for brekkies. And after that, I met a friend and went to a Jewish cafe for lunch. I had matza, latkas, and meatloaf, and it was sooooo good.

The drive home was pretty uneventful. Well, until I got about 45 mins from home, and my driver's side tire totally blew out. Suckage! Luckily, my dad was close, so I called him to come help me. While I was waiting, a police offer saw me and offered to change my tire. Thank you, Officer Awesome! I never got your name, but you were totally cool. He was joking around with me that the tire blowout was just Ohio's way of welcoming me back. haha

All in all, a fantastic trip. The bookstore asked us to come back again in September, so I'll be back, yo. Canada, I can't wait to visit you again--thanks for the memories!! :D

Tell me your funniest childhood memories

2010-01-07T09:28:00.006-05:00

I was talking with a couple of coworkers this morning about childhood memories and giggled so hard at a few that were jogged in my head. So of course, I had to share. Here you go, folks--a window into Rhonda's brain. But beware, for it is a frightening place:

--In kindergarten, I couldn't remember my teacher's name, so I just called her Miss Kindergarten. One time, I missed the bus, and Miss Kindergarten gave me a ride home.

--I remember in 3rd grade playing Dukes of Hazzard with some other kids in the apartment complex. I was always Daisy Duke, of course. We made my younger sister be that really big lady (I don't remember her name). She hated it, but did it because she didn't want to be left out.

--When I was in 7th grade, my two best friends and I had a secret club. It was called Pink Secrets. I don't remember anything we did in our club, but we did have a meeting room up in the attic, where it was insanely hot. At least there was a couch in there, though.

--In 2nd grade, I had a huuuuuge crush on this boy named Jason. But this girl named Grace liked him too. I really, really disliked her. haha

--In 4th grade, I was playing tag with a group of friends. This one guy named Carey always liked to pretend he was a vampire. He was chasing me around in tag and reached out to touch me...and grabbed my chest (non-existent, of course), instead. I hauled off and slapped him and ran off crying to my friend. She told her older brother, who just a couple of days later looked out his apartment window and shot Carey in the butt with a bb gun. Looking back, I think it was less about defending me and more about getting a chance to use his bb gun on a real person.

--My first-ever date was in 5th grade with my first boyfriend. We went to see the movie Little Shop of Horrors with his mom. He was also the one who gave me a brown lunch bag of jewelry on Valentine's day...only to have to take the bag back the next day. Turned out, it was his sister's jewelry.

--I didn't have my first kiss until I was 15. We were in a roller rink, and he was playing an arcade game. And I totally kissed him! When my mom picked me up after our evening, she asked if we kissed. I said yes, and she blanched and said, "Well, there'd better have been no tongue." Thanks, mom!

--In 4th grade, this one girl told me she could pee standing up. I'm still baffled by this one.

--My sis and I used to play Nancy Drew. We'd scour the ground outside, looking for a mystery. E.g., the mystery of the dirty pop can. Or the mystery of the single shoe. Yes, we were always this smart.

--When I was first learning about addition, I remember looking in my math book and seeing signs that were only horizontal. I totally thought they'd just forgotten to put the vertical lines, so I went through the entire book and drew them in...only to find out that they were minus signs, and it wasn't a publishing error. I had to go back and erase them all.

--When I was in 4th grade, this boy really liked me. He tried to give me a ring, but I didn't feel comfortable with it, so I told him thanks, but it didn't feel right to take it. Right before our Christmas play, his mom marched him up to me and ordered me to take the ring, because he'd spent his money on it. Guilt trip city!

I could go on and on, but I'd love to hear about YOUR most amusing childhood memories. Anything funny come to mind? Tell, tell, tell!

Breaking out of my safety zone

2010-01-06T09:11:00.003-05:00

So, it's Jan 6, and I don't have any super-formal goals set up yet. This is really unusual for me, because I'm a super goal-oriented person. There's nothing more satisfying than crossing items off a list. Wow, reading that last sentence sounds even way nerdier than I meant. Anyway, it's time to make my writing goals for 2010:

1--break out of my safety zone. Basically, dare to write different. Try something fun, exciting, new for me to help breathe new life into my writing and force me to grow. Mix it up a little! I pledge to write at least 1 proposal this year for a non rom-com genre.

2--but also, keep building my current platform. In addition to trying new stuff, I should work more on refining my rom com writing and making it stronger. I pledge to write at least 1 rom-com proposal this year, as well.

3--keep writing. I need to make steadier, more consistent time for writing. When drafting, I will write at least 3 pages a day, 5 days a week.

4--network. Gotta get out there and meet new people! Who knows where it could lead for me?

5--pimp. Myself, that is, and my books. I will not be afraid to hand out bookmarks to strangers. Okay, I might be afraid, but I'm gonna do it anyway. I will have 3 books out by mid-May, and I need to make sure people know about them!

6--relax. Wow, this one is so important. I get really uptight about stuff and need to learn how to let go and relax a little. Life's not just about being productive, but also enjoying the downtimes too.

I believe 2010 is going to be a good, productive year for me. And super busy! If I stick to my goals, I think I can make it through just fine. And I hope you guys have a wonderful year. :D

I totally have a drinking problem, sigh

2009-12-28T11:24:00.005-05:00

I swear, every time I take a sip of my soda, it spills down the front of my shirt and/or splashes onto my pants. What's up with that? I'm tired of my shirts having diet pepsi on them--so attractive. UGH.

Awwww I know you guys thought I was totally gonna get all AA on you.

I'm actually doing great! I had a fabulous weekend reading, writing, and chillaxing. I'm trying desperately to keep my mind off my BRAND-NEW RELEASE of Stupid Cupid by working on a new story! Actually, 2 new stories.

Okay, actually 3--but I'm trying to focus on one at a time, really.

Starting a new project is scary and exciting. It's rather like falling in love. You get the rush of excitement from the new shiny thing. OMG it's gonna be so cool! It'll be everything I ever dreamed of! This one will be totally much better than my last one, too.

I, of course, dive head-first into the imaginative pool and bathe in the luxurious glittery glow of new story. It's got action! Adventure! Romance! More romance!

But then, I inevitably hit a relationship wall where I gotta figure out where the heck I'm going with this thing: aka, writing the synopsis. These are torturous for me, though I fully know I can't live without them. The syno is my lifeline--it's the plotting of my story that helps me keep on track when I go to draft. It's the skeleton that holds the body up. It's the cracker to my cheese.

It's also insanely hard to write sometimes.

Fortunately, I have the syno and first chapter done on my new sparkly project. So I'm working away at it, chugging down diet pepsi like it's going out of style--caffeine serves as great brain fuel, LOL. I also need to finish the syno for project #2 (which has 50 pages written). Once those are done, I'll let myself work on project #3.

Project #1 that I'm doing now is another contemp comedy. But projects 2 and 3...these are different. They're outside my usual comfort zone. So they're taking way longer than normal to get ironed out, because I want to do them justice.

So, how do you like to work on new projects--whether it's writing, something artistic, etc? Do you like to plan it all out first, or do you fly by the seat of your pants and just jump into the deep end?

How I Spent My Book Release Day!

2009-12-23T11:42:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday was the release of Stupid Cupid, as I'm sure you fine people have figured out by now. LOL. I had a super-fun day.

First things first--right after midnight on the very eeeearly morning of the 22nd, the manpanion and I toasted to success (which we did in our snooty rich-people voices, of course) We didn't have any champagne, so we did a vodka shot instead. Yes, we're classy! Then, I promptly conked out (surprise!). I was shocked I got any sleep, but it's a good thing I did, because I was super busy yesterday!

I got up at 10 am, got my contest winners all in order and posted on my blog, and played a wee bit of Farkle on Facebook (I'm addicted so badly to that game--it's like crack). I also looked up my book on every possible bookselling site in the whole wide world. It was so cool to see it live and ready to ship!

My friends Athena and Melissa came over, and we went to Panera for lunch. OMG so tasty--I had the frontega chicken sandwich. I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it yet. Our friends Sunita and Surita (I hope I spelled that right!) met up with us. Here's a pic of them (from left to right, Sunita, Surita, Melissa, and Athena):

After lunch, it was time...dum dum DUMMMMM! Athena, Melissa, and I piled into Athena's car and headed to the Borders in Solon. When we got there, I told them I was the author and wanted to sign stock.

Imagine my surprise when the bookseller apologized, but said they'd already sold out of their 5 copies of Stupid Cupid. Whoa! He promised to order more and let me know when they came in. Well, I thanked him profusely, and we headed to the next store on our list: Joseph Beth Booksellers!

When we stepped through the front door, Athena instantly squealed. I didn't know what for--she pointed out the display RIGHT in front of the door:

Hello, check that out! I was stoked--and dude, right next to LeBron James' book. LOL. So I signed those and yapped for a few minutes with Megan, the super-awesome bookseller at JB. They'd gotten TWELVE copies in for me to sign! After that, I got in a signing frenzy and was itching to start signing other books there, like the LeBron one, and maybe a couple of the 12,000 copies of Twilight. I did manage to restrain myself, though. Megan led me to the back, where there was another display holding my book in the back of the store, at its other entrance:

The pic is a little blurry, because we were so action-y, and quite a bit caffeinated to boot. Anywho, we hit a few more stores on the east side and west side that were CRAZY busy so I could sign their stock too--made me glad I wasn't doing my holiday shopping.

Then, I headed home to enjoy a leisurely dinner with the manpanion. We had a hankering for boneless wings, so we went to Applebees. I'm drooling right now thinking about it--I got that lime chicken with rice and cheese, and soooo it was so goooood. After that, we hung out with my parents and family for a wee bit, then headed down to Strongsville, where I wanted to hit one last Borders before calling it a day. They had 5 copies, so I signed them. And they were soooo super nice--so I wanted to give a shout-out to them too! :D

When we got home, we relaxed with a glass of wine and rocked out on Guitar Hero: World Tour. I have to say, I was killing it on medium! One day, I'll be brave enough to try the hard level. But not anytime soon.

Awesome day!! Thanks for letting me share. I hope you guys had a fun day yesterday too. Oh! And I forgot to mention, but my friends sent me pics of my book out in the wild. A couple even snapped pics of it in Walmart--how cool is that? ((hugs)) thank you to everyone for being SO awesome and supportive. I love you guys! XOXO

Winners, winners everywhere!!

2009-12-22T10:42:00.004-05:00

First up, the winner of the book triplets scavenger hunt: Nine Fly!! Congrats, and thank you everyone SOOOOO much for entering!!

Next is the winner of my contest in the virtual van tour post for Mandy Hubbard's novel Prada and Prejudice. And the winner is Cherry!! Please email me at rhonda at rhondastapleton dot com to claim your book. :D Huge thanks to everyone who followed our crazy van tour--we had a BLAST doing it!

LAST. We have the biiiiiiiiig winner of my book launch contest. Cue drum roll here. Now, let me just say that we got some really, really horrible poems. I am impressed by the caliber of wretchedness and purple prose we saw, as were the judges!! You guys made everyone laugh, cry, and even throw up in our mouths a little.

But alas, there can be only one.

The winner, of the most horrendous love poem written in the history of mankind, IS.........Jessica!

Here's her entry:

You are a treat.
And are very sweet.
Your hair looks like wheat.
I like repeatedly passing your street.

I do not cheat,
so you should send me a Tweet,
and we can meet,
and get something to eat.

I am very neat.
You should give me a greet.
My name is Pete,
and I like your feet.

For your love, I know I must compete.
But I am elite.
And my love—as strong as concrete!
I will defeat.

My heart is incomplete.
And only YOU can make it complete.
Please go out with me. . . .

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. I have gotten tons of support and love for the launch of Stupid Cupid. I greatly appreciate it!

My plan today is to have a leisurely lunch with friends, and then run around like mad and sign stock in several local stores. haha

Have a great Dec 22! I know I will. :D

Stupid Prada Summer Van Tour--the last stop!

2009-12-19T16:33:00.005-05:00

Read Saundra Mitchell's recap of day 1 HERE.
Read Mandy Hubbard's recap of day 2 HERE.
Read Rhonda Stapleton's recap of day 3 HERE.
Read Saundra Mitchell's recap of day 4 HERE.
Read Mandy Hubbard's recap of day 5 HERE.
Read Rhonda Stapleton's recap of day 6 HERE.
Read Saundra Mitchell's recap of day 7 HERE.
Read Mandy Hubbard's recap of day 8 HERE.

I had the best of intentions in posting this yesterday. Really, I did. I had my lappy all set up so I could get this sucker done after our signing in the Winchester House. Only, when we set up this signing for our tour, none of us realized how freaking CRAZY SCARY this house would be. And even worse, for some stupid reason, we thought it would be fun to spend the night in this creeper place.

Here's the pic of us outside the house yesterday afternoon, before the signing. Back in a time where we were innocent and young, and completely unaware of what exactly awaited us inside.

First, we did the signing in the lobby. This place was like a ghost town, literally. The house is apparently mega-haunted, and we kept hearing weird thumps and things that go bump in the night. Saundra was totally digging it of course, as she was the most prepared out of the three of us (her book is about ghosts--oh-so handy for HER, right??). She kept ditching up and exploring the stairs that lead to nowhere and some freak-tacular rooms. Mandy and I, however, spent the whole evening cuddling up to Fight Club Guy in the lobby and trying not to pee in our drawers.

Of course, we tried not to cuddle TOO close to him--see what he's wearing? It's the same freaking outfit he's had on for like over a week now. Stinky! If it weren't for the fact that he saved our butts after our van got ripped off, Mandy would have been spraying him down with a hose.

None of us got a wink of sleep last night: Saundra kept trying to capture photographic and EVP evidence of ghosts and wouldn't stop talking to them. Mandy kept throwing deodorant pellets at Fight Club Guy. And I kept downing red bulls and chewing chocolate-covered espresso beans out of fear of falling asleep. As you can imagine, when we escaped the house this morning, we all crashed hard, super happy to be in our own beds.

Thank you again for following us on this virtual van (er, helicopter?) tour. :D Comment HERE for your last chance to win Saundra Mitchell's novel SHADOWED SUMMER! And comment HERE for your last chance to win Mandy Hubbard's novel PRADA AND PREJUDICE!