Greetings, Cool Peeps:

My guest for today is artist Tom Oliver. Tom’s had quite an interesting life, but I’ll let him tell you about it.

Welcome, Tom. It’s a pleasure to have you as my guest today. You have quite an interesting background. Please, tell the peeps about yourself.

I was born in Kentucky but moved all over the US. I was a preacher’s kid and we moved 13 times or so by the time I was 18 years old. I can’t remember all the places.

These days, I’m a single dad of a wonderful son, a part-time Planner for the City of Los Alamitos, California, and a part-time artist. Mostly I tell people that I clean house for an eight year old.

You’ve worked in so many diverse places. What were your favorite and least favorite jobs? What is your dream job or endeavor?

My most exciting jobs were when I worked at the Disney Studios for a few years. The best job I had there was being the Assistant to the President of Buena Vista Television, which is one of Disney’s TV companies. I worked in that office for three years, and felt like a big shot — and got to meet a lot of stars. I experienced things like test answering the first questions for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?,” got Christmas presents from Regis Philbin, and even was subjected to a very awkward hug from Richard Simmons.

My least favorite jobs were working at banks and insurance companies. Bless the people who can suffer those jobs, because I can’t do that anymore. I had to force down tons of Tagamet because I tore myself up inside in those thankless jobs.

My favorite job, but a tough job, was being a stay-at-home dad to my son. He is the best thing about my life.

I’ve always admired peeps who do stand-up comedy. It takes a whole lot to just get up in front of an audience and go for the laughs. Had you ever thought about stand-up before you became a stay-at-home dad?

I thought about it. But, the push to do it came when I started realizing I was becoming afraid to speak in public — which wouldn’t suit me at all. So I took a class at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, and it took off from there. It nipped all my public speaking fears right in the bud. I did probably, just guessing, more than 250 shows. I quit counting after 150.

How did you get started on the comedy circuit? What interesting things did you learn that might surprise us? Would you ever go back?

If you have guts to do it, standup comedy is very accessible. There are open mikes all over LA, and once you get comfortable at those then you can get into the regular shows at coffee shops and bars. Then after a while you’ll be performing at the Comedy Store and the Ice House. If you stick with it and do a lot of shows, you can get pretty good at it. The problem with comedy is the bringer shows. If you want to perform in the big clubs, at the beginning you’ll have to make sure your friends come to your shows. At least ten people a show. That’s tough. And when you’re a middle-aged guy your friends don’t want to hang out in places like that very often.

The most rewarding shows were the shows I did for a promoter who booked me at old folks homes, hospitals, and — believe it or not — prisons. They taught me a lot about keeping the audience engaged, and I felt good doing those shows. I quit doing comedy when I got divorced in the middle of being a stay-at-home-dad. I quickly entered Grad School to try and get a career. My humor kind of waned during that time and I put it on the back burner – thinking I would go back to it later. But, the art took off and I like that creative world a whole lot better than stand up, although I really miss my comedian friends.

I’m loving your art. What made you decide to start painting and what made you continue?

I always drew stuff for fun. I got a certificate for “Best Boy Artist” in first grade, and even had a cartoon in my school newspaper when I was in sixth grade. I’ve always been a creative person. I’m kind of an overachiever. I have written many spec script feature length screenplays which didn’t sell. But, I sold ten educational films. Then I wrote a few children’s books that didn’t find a publisher even though I won 1st place in Young Adult fiction for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Los Angeles.

I started painting in earnest when I was in classes in Grad School where I was the designated art guy in all my urban planning courses. I was having a blast, and it was great therapy for getting over my divorce. I painted some angry paintings at first, ha! I was filling up my apartment with painted canvases that were meant for nobody but me, when one of my Facebook friends demanded that I start selling. I did, and boy it has taken off. That shocked me. Lot’s of sales, shows, awards, articles, etc… One of my paintings was even purchased by the Special Events Coordinator of the Guggenheim and she put it in her own gallery. One thing that helped kick it all off was writing about artist colonies for my master’s thesis. I got to know a lot about the art world that way.

Have you had any formal training or are you self-taught?

If you call reading every art book ever written, and painting what seems like thousands of paintings, self-taught, then “yep” I’m self-taught. I’m kind of afraid to take any classes in art for fear that they’ll ruin the good thing I have going.

Where do you want to go from here with your art?

If I could do it for a full-time living, that would be great. Everyone I know thinks this is my life’s calling – me too. My friends all say I should be living in an artist loft in downtown LA.

What haven’t you painted that you might like to paint?

I have more ideas for paintings than I can keep up with. Recently I’ve been trying not to be so eclectic, because you kind of need to pigeon hole yourself for a while to be a successful artist. After I’m famous, I’ll experiment again.

Is painting a fast or a slow process for you? How many paintings have you produced so far? Where do you keep them?

I was fast when I painted primarily in oil, but since I’ve switched to mostly acrylic, I hit light speed. I have so much to show people. I scare people with the amount of paintings I crank out. The number one thing people ask me these days is do you ever sleep? Where do I keep them? I’m getting worried that I’m beginning to look like a hoarder in my apartment. I have sold quite a few, but I still have a lot of paintings hanging on the walls, leaning on the walls, and in boxes next to the walls…

Where have you exhibited your art? Have you won any awards?

I have exhibited all over the LA region in galleries, art fairs, and restaurants. Also, at that Guggenheim lady’s gallery in Brooklyn. I’ve sold to people as far away as Switzerland, but don’t have a permanent home gallery yet. I won first place in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Urban Ocean Festival Contest, in Long Beach. I’m a member of Long Beach Arts and show there often. Over and over, I keep getting into their juried shows —which are juried by big shot curators from all over the LA area — which blows my mind.

I wish there was room in the interview to show more of your wonderful work. Please, what can you tell us about each of these paintings?

There isn’t any more room. I have too much to say, ha!

I call it “Poltergeist.” It’s an old, scary hotel in downtown LA. If walls could talk that place would have a lot to say. That painting really started people noticing my art.

I was watching the old “Thomas Crown Affair” movie, which has a film style that looks like that. It’s kind of Mondrian style.

That’s one of the paintings about how I was feeling after my divorce.

I call it, “Remains.” That’s another one about how I felt everyone looked at me after my divorce.

Thank goodness you picked that one. I was mentioning the word “divorce” too much. Bolsa Chica is a place where I take walks with my son. What a nice place.

That’s called “Newport Penninsula.” Those people have “the life” there. At least I hope some of them do. But, I don’t know if I’d want to work enough hours to own a house there.

That’s my sister and brother-in-law looking out from Ventura at Anacapa Island. I put a banyan tree in the painting because I think they seem to reach out and hug people.

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

Life has been rough, so I’m glad I didn’t know anything five years ago about now, ha!

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

I’m on a quest to know why we human beings, who are conscious of our existence, are alive and living on a planet in the middle of nowhere. I go for the simple stuff to answer, huh?

Tell us about your son Aaron. Is he as artistically inclined as his dad? What dreams does he have?

My son is in and out of art all the time. At eight-years-old he wants to be a video game designer. We’ll see how that will morph over time.

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

That’s easy. My art. I can always do better. I’m really trying to stay away from preciseness and photorealism because that’s just a parlor trick and doesn’t say anything special about the world for me.

Any parting words for the masses? Where can the peeps connect with you?

Parting word… “Think.”

To contact me, I love to talk with people on Facebook.

Parting word… “Think.” To contact me, I love to talk with people on Facebook, either on my personal page (Tom Oliver) or my art page (Tom Oliver Art).

http://tomoliverart.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Molly!

Tags: Comedy Store, Disney, divorce, painting, stand-up comedy, Tom Oliver, Tom Oliver Art, urban planning

Greetings, Cool Peeps:

I’m very excited about my guest this week, Michelle Halket, the founder of ireadiwrite Publishing. Michelle is here to talk not only about her company, but about the ebook revolution and how it’s changing the face of publishing.

Welcome, Michelle. I know that you come from the corporate world and that you were a manager with a major market research company for over a decade. Why did you decide to start a publishing company? Had it always been a dream of yours?

Hi Molly, and thank you so much for having me, it’s a real pleasure! It’s true, I am more left-brained than right, my background is in business, economics, and market research. But, yes, this had been on my mind for some time before it came to fruition.

Tell us how ireadiwrite Publishing got started and how you have evolved to where you are now.

Well, it all started when I had a conversation with someone about how hard it is for writers to get published (I don’t write, but know people who do). We decided that it would be a good idea to start a portal where writers could put their works up for sale. There’d be no intervention on our part, just the authors offering their books as-is. So on May 1, 2009, we opened for business. I began actively searching out authors on Twitter to see if they’d be interested in submitting. We put up Google and Facebook ads. We had a few authors, but not that many and very few sales. As the months wore on — so many other bigger and better sites were doing the exact same thing, and way better than we were — Scrib’d, Smashwords, Amazon, etc.

So the next several months saw us evolve as a true publisher, editing, designing, creating the digital files, distributing, etc. Now, we are a full-blown publisher, we are very picky about who we take on — looking for driven, committed, and talented authors and we have expanded our distribution beyond where self-published authors could go. We know that authors can do it themselves, but if they want to work with a publisher, then we can offer those writers more. We still have a few books that remain unedited and in old formats – under our old business model — but I’ll remain loyal to those folks and keep their books – they’re still good stories and the authors are like friends who stuck with me when times were lean. We will edit and redo them; it’s just a matter of time.

What kind of books do you publish? Are you actively accepting submissions?

We look for any well-written book in any genre, but we’re particularly looking for creative writing — both fiction and non-fiction. We do accept submissions, but like you, we’re having to get more picky in what we can take. There are many good books that come our way that we have to turn down. Our roster is pretty much full for this year, so we’re looking at 2012 now.

Why do you think you have succeeded when other independent publishers have failed?

Oh wow, have we succeeded? I’m glad you think so! Kidding aside, I think we have a few things going for us. First off, is that we have had time – in many forms. We were willing to get into the ebook business when very few people knew what they were. I would carry around our books on my smart phone so that I could demonstrate to people what they were. We were also willing to wait it out, knowing that the ebook tide was rising. We also had time in the form of scores of books that were ready to go before ebooks really took off, so we had learned a lot of our lessons ahead of time, when hopefully no one really noticed.

Fortuitous timing aside, and to run the risk of tooting my own horn, I think I’m very adaptable. In the early days, it was just me, and I had no idea how to run a business, build a website, find authors, edit, create covers or the technical ability to create ebooks. But I learned, and when I couldn’t do it myself, I found people to help me. Our covers are mostly done in-house, and we regularly get compliments on many of them. I know good writing when I read it. I have also had the opportunity to work with several freelance editors who have brought quite a bit to this little company, as well as some of our authors, who’ve been patient enough to go with me as we navigated the waters. I have made friends who have the necessary technical skills and I use them when I need to. Because of them, I’ve learned a lot, and our ebooks meet industry standards and look as good on devices as the bigger houses. Twitter has been a wonderful tool – helping to connect me with smart, driven people who offer a wealth of information — one need only ask.

The publishing world is changing every day. How do you keep your business model up to date?

As I mentioned before, my own business model has changed so much from the beginning. Because of this, I learned early on from my mistakes and was able to adapt and I keep changing as I need to. That’s the beauty of a small ship.

I also keep up on what’s happening in the industry. No, I don’t actively follow all technical folks, agents, and publishers to find out what they’re doing every minute — that’s very counterproductive. But I keep abreast almost every day and try to filter out the less necessary information. I take the trends and apply what I know how to do, and once I’ve made a decision, I go with it and don’t waste time worrying about the mistakes I’ve made.

I also ensure I’m not constantly looking in my rear-view mirror or out my side windows — but forward – through my windshield. For there lies success.

Can you explain what DRM is to the cool peeps?

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and it refers to any technology used to prevent readers from sharing or exploiting digital works. DRM can apply to books, music, movies — any type of digital file.

I think ebooks are awesome. I think it’s fab that you can read part of a book on your Kindle or computer screen and pick up where you left off on your smart phone. That said, I hope paper books won’t disappear. Do you think they will?

Oh gosh, I hope not too. Paper will always have a place in publishing – but I do think it will have a decreased role. There will be folks who want paper and the market will serve to accommodate them. Much like pens and notebooks are still around for note-taking or letter writing, paper books will still be around. My guess is that they will evolve to become a form of artwork — anyone who invests in the production of a paper book will take the time to do it beautifully — or I hope so. The commodity that is the mass-market paperback will decline to be replaced with digital editions and the truly beautiful books will be here to be treasured by those who love them.

How do you think the ebook revolution has changed traditional publishing? What do the big publishers have to do to change the way they do business?

I don’t know if I’m a good person to answer this question. Like I said before, I watch what’s happening in the publishing industry, but I don’t expend a lot of brainpower on what others are doing or what they should do. There are many intelligent writers, agents and bloggers out there who say what they think about the industry and rather vociferously. I do know that there seems to be a lot of angst against big publishing; from unfair royalties to limiting the number of borrows a library can issue for an ebook.

Big publishing isn’t dumb. Those companies are run by smart, experienced people. But the whole ebook thing has taken off so fast that many people – even smart people – didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Now it seems like many are all in a bit of a game of catch up. And that’s okay, it’s okay to be learning and adapting as you go.

When it comes to the production of ebooks, the big publishers will be able to do a great job on enhanced ebooks, because they have more resources. That said, currently a lot of those enhanced books have a lot of bugs in them. But they’ll come along, just like everything else.

But honestly, I don’t sweat the stuff that any other company is going through, I have enough to figure out here!

I hear a lot of debate about how to price an ebook. Any thoughts on this?

Ah, The Question. There is so much debate on the 99-cent book. For ireadiwrite Publishing, the answer for a new book is definitely not 99 cents. And definitely not the same price as a paper book. So somewhere in between. Our model is that we release full-length new releases at $4.99. We think that’s a fair price for a professionally done new book by a previously unknown author. Shorter books get released at $3.99.

After the book has been out for a while, we drop the price to $2.99. We do have some books that were released before we edited and created good digital files and creative covers – those are priced at $0.99.

I have no problem putting books on sale for a lower price, but that should be a temporary price reduction only.

A lot of peeps make predictions every day about the rapidly changing publishing world? Any predictions you’d like to make?

You ask hard questions! If I could predict what would happen in anything, I’d be making a lot of money on Wall Street. Or as a psychic to the stars.

So many authors go nuts trying to write and promote at the same time. Any advice? What are the best and worst ways to utilize social media?

I don’t tout myself as a social media expert, but the biggest advice I can give for anyone is to treat people you meet in any social media the same way you would treat them if you met in person. When you first see someone on the street and you think they’re interesting or might be interested in you, do you walk up to them and start selling them something? Do you go on endlessly about yourself without asking them something about themselves? Do you use slang or shorten your words? Do you spout off about politics or religion? No, because it’s rude. So, do the same online. Be polite, remember how to spell, ask about them, learn about them. Then, once you become “friendly,” then they might ask about you and what you do. Odds are you’ll have better luck selling yourself if you come across as helpful, kind, and interesting. Selling books is really selling yourself.

Now that said, I’m not the expert on author marketing, but we do have an author on board who is — Deborah Riley-Magnus and her book on author platforms is coming in the fall. So stay tuned. How’s that for self-promotion? 😉

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

That if you are doing something primarily for the money, then it’s not worth doing and it’ll likely fail.

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

How long is this interview?

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

The people I surround myself with. In both my personal and business life, I look for value-added people. Those folks who teach me, bring joy and evoke peace.

Any parting words for the masses?

Make the world a better place – create something. For writers, that means: write. Keep writing. No matter what happens – if only three people read your work – if every publisher and agent says no – keep writing. If you stop, you deny who you are and the world is a lesser place because of it.

ireadiwrite.com

ireadiwrite blog

ireadiwrite Twitter

ireadiwrite Facebook

ireadiwrite Goodreads

Deborah Riley-Magnus

Tags: Author Success Coach, Deborah Riley-Magnus, DRM, ebook prices, ebook revolution, ebooks, independent publishing, ireadiwrite publishing, Michelle Halket, publishing industry, social media etiquette

Greetings, Cool Peeps:

My guest this week is writer Dawn Kirby from Odessa, Texas. Up until three years ago, Dawn had barely written more than a grocery list, and now, she is writing like crazy.

Dawn is 34 years old and. She and her husband Jamie will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on September 11th. (Congratulations!) Dawn is the proud mother of three beautiful children: Tristan, 13, Aishlynn, 11, and Shelby, 9. Please, join me in welcoming this sensational woman of many talents.

When did you first know you were meant to write — or had to write? How did your writing life evolve from there?

It wasn’t until after I started writing SECRETS. I’d only meant to get the idea on paper so it would stop nagging at me. I figured fifteen years had been long enough. Before I knew it I was three chapters in and a whole series had already taken shape. The more I wrote the more I HAD to write. By the end of the book I knew there was no way I could stop.

If a potential agent or publisher were reading this interview, how would you pitch your work? Go for it, girlfriend.

SECRETS, the first book in the paranormal Serenity Series follows Leah as she discovers the secret that has kept her parents apart her entire life. The father she thought to be dead walks back into her life just in time to watch as some outside force threatens to destroy the safe haven he created the night he walked away.

Once her secret is out, vampires and werewolves alike vow to do whatever is necessary to keep her out of the hands of a power hungry vampire and a money grubbing shifter. After all, a day walking Dhampir would be a marvelous addition to any vampire’s collection.

Using phenomenal senses along with the unique ability to see moods and smell the personalities of those around her, she takes the lead, determined to find out who’s hunting her and why. That’s when all the secrets begin to unravel.

If you don’t find a mainstream publisher, will you publish independently?

Absolutely! I want to share the world I’ve created, not hide it.

People (yes, including me) do some wacky things. My grandpa used to tell me that eating my vegetables would build character. I doubt that my green beans and broccoli made me the woman I am today, but that aside, as a writer, how do you build your characters?

That’s great! My granddad used to tell me eating vegetables would make me pretty like him…took me years to start eating them.

Every one of my characters is based on someone in my life. Take Kale for example. Aside from his tendency to be a player among the ladies, I based him after my son, Tristan. Happy-go-lucky and smiling all the time. Nothing gets him down. When it comes to charisma, both could charm the fangs off a rattlesnake.

Declan, one of my vampires, is a total sweetheart. Good looking, red-headed and Irish to boot. His laid back, caring attitude comes from a boy I knew in high school. Though I think he’s one of my more attractive characters, one of my readers can’t even hear his name without gagging, literally.

All of my readers, including my editor, Jessica Swift, have had strong reactions to the characters. So much so, I’ve received emails and phone calls regarding their future well being. In some cases regarding their desire for me to resurrect a favorite they weren’t willing to let go of just yet. I love it when I can sit down with a fan and listen to them talk about each character as if they know them personally.

I wanted all my characters to be relatable in one way or another. Judging by the reactions to them so far, I’ve accomplished that goal. To me it makes the story more real. It makes me want to read more, learn more about them. I want my readers to feel every emotion they do. Experience every joy, absorb every pain.

Please, give our readers a fabulous reason or two to visit your blog.

A visit to my blog will give your readers a glimpse into my world. Not everybody has the same tastes I do.

I love the world I’ve created. I can only hope others will, too. Only in the land of imagination can a vampire have a pulse. A werewolf NOT be cold hearted killer hell bent on destroying anything that gets in his way. Shifters in my world are more in tune with nature than any other supernatural creature could ever be. They live for the nights they can transform and run out the energy daily life doesn’t allow them to expend.

On my blog readers can get a taste for my writing style, my characters. There they can read about the things that inspire me or simply take a few minutes and let my characters help them escape the real world. Go for a dangerous ride in the rain with Letalia or dream of death with Sage. Step away from “honorable” and let Mara use you as she will. Lonely Nicholas could use a little love as well; it’s been centuries.

As a social media-savvy woman, you come across many authors, writers, and other creative peeps promoting their work. What are some of the coolest things you see people do to promote, and what are some of the not-so-cool things you see? What advice can you offer to those who want/need to promote their work and aren’t sure how to go about it the right way?

Book trailers are by far the most creative. It’s amazing to see how they transform written words into something so mesmerizing it makes you want to go out and buy the book right then and there.

Reaching out to other writers is awesome, too. The mutual support system Facebook and Twitter offers is unbeatable. I’ve found so many wonderful people. Any one of them is ready and willing to help spread the word at any given time. It’s a privilege we should all take part in.

On the other hand, there are those who abuse that privilege with merciless self-promotion. I for one want to know who the person is behind all the blog links and follow me’s. Putting yourself, not just your work out there is what social networking is all about. Don’t be afraid to make a few personal connections. I have and I count myself lucky to have made them. The friends and colleagues I’ve met have only enriched my life. Reading their work has help nurture mine. I notice things in my own writing more now. Some good, others bad, but I’m learning. That’s what makes networking so great.

You’ve told us about what you’ve been working on to date? What future projects tickle your fancy?

At the moment I’m working on a paranormal collaboration with a fabulous author. In my opinion he is without a doubt one of the most talented writers I’ve met so far. It’s only in the early stages, but I’m tickled to pieces to be working with him.

Besides that I am in the process of starting book five in the Serenity Series, REVELATIONS and working on a spin-off of the series as well as a journal based on Leah’s father. There’s a ghost story to be written in there somewhere, though it’s still in the early stages.

I love writing flashes for my blog. Besides coming up with some great stories, it’s a fantastic way to get this wordy writer down in the word count department. I’m a Texan, we talk…A LOT!

Recently I started writing short stories for Paranormal Utopia http://paranormalutopia.com/2011/03/water-lily311/ . A website devoted to anything and everything Paranormal. Though I only have one post under my belt, I’m looking forward to many more.

Tell us a little about life in Texas. If you were to live somewhere else, any idea where that might be?

I love being able to say I’m a Texan. There’s just something about it that warms my heart. I honestly don’t think I could ever leave it behind me for good. Moving would only take me as far as Weatherford, a gorgeous little town outside Fort Worth or maybe the coast. It’d be nice to see something other than dirt and tumbleweeds when I look out my front door.

I’ve only been there three or four times in my life but I fell in love with the community immediately. In fact SECRETS is based there. What better place for weres and shifters to run?

You love writing about secrets. What’s the most exciting part about that?
The most exciting part is thinking up all the secrets. I had no idea how twisted my mind was before I started writing. How else can I explain the constant need to test the tenacity of my characters?

Often, I hear people say, “I have no secrets.” Do you believe them?

Not at all! You can’t really LIVE life without having at least one skeleton in your closet.

Please, tell us how you feel about the ever-evolving publishing landscape.

Personally I think this is an exciting time to be a part of the publishing world. There are so many ways a writer’s voice can be heard. The best part is none of it is wrong.

Traditional Publishing isn’t going anywhere. Neither is Indie. Both are strong. Self- Publishing has never been better. Editors are at your fingertips. Beta readers are just a click away. Cover artists and illustrators are out there, too. All ready and willing to help you make your dream a reality. All it takes is a little research and a lot of hard work and time.

I know people who are scared to death of Twitter but really should be using it. Can you give these potential tweeps a few pointers on how to use it?

The only thing I can say is, JUST DO IT! It will be the best thing you’ve ever done. Put yourself, your work out there. Get to know a few people. Follow a range of people and see just how much you can learn. The five minutes it took to set up your profile will be the best five minutes you’ve ever spent. I knew nothing about Twitter when I signed up, but I was determined to figure it out. Within a week I decided it was without a doubt the best way to educate myself. Between the agents, publishers, writers, links and blogs it’s practically a one stop shop for information. Nowhere else can you ask a question and get a myriad of answers in response.

Using Twitter for the first few times is intimidating. I’ll be the first to admit that, but once a writer learns the ropes and gains a trusted group of “friends” it can be a blessing. There’s a sense of community that can’t be found anywhere else. I think I can speak for most of us when I say it’s always a pleasure to welcome a new writer, editor or agent to our lists.

For those of you who are just starting out, give me @SecretsWriter and a few of these wonderful people a shout @LisetteBrodey @ShellyPicarella @SwiftInkEditor @Alchira4ever @theMindjuggler @ATRUSSELLWRITER @TymothyLongoria @sabrinaogden @TrishWolfe @Darke_Conteur @DianaIlinca @ParaYourNormal @StephenPenner @LaraDunning @IndieBookIBC and we’ll be more than happy to show you the way around.

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

That particular list is endless, but the one thing I wish I would have known how hard getting published, traditionally or otherwise really is. Going in almost every writer has a vision of sending out a query, getting an agent and getting a publishing contract within a year. The reality is that only happens to a small percentage of very lucky people. If you’re not willing to put in the time and WORK your ultimate goal will never be reached.

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

That’s a toughie…I can think of so many things I’d like to know more about. I suppose the biggest thing would be how I can divide my time between family, work, writing and helping new writers navigate their way across what at first feels like an overwhelming sea of questions.

What are the top five items on your to-do list?

Get final edits done on SECRETS
Publish it, first as an ebook.
Dedicate myself to editing the other three
Write the final four books in the Serenity Series. For them it’s just a matter of trying to make my fingers go as fast as my brain. Difficult since I’m a four-fingered typist. (The other six fingers refuse to work at all on a keyboard)
Take a deep breath and start the process all over again

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

My writing area. Whether it’s on my desk or on the couch I have to have all my things within an arm’s reach. I can’t function otherwise. Everybody knows better than to mess with my notebook, pencil or my maps. I get nervous when a fan picks up the binder I keep all my notes in. Not because it may give away a secret or two, but because it’s not where it should be. A steady bout of pacing goes on if someone decides to sit in my spot, too. Asking them to move would be rude, but it’s so tempting. My three-year-old nephew was shocked one day when he came over finding my daughter in my normal place. I’d swear he only hugged me to check me for fever.

As long as I have a Coke, my Atlantis pencil (yes, I am majorly picky when it comes to my pencil choice), my binder and my music I’m happy. Words flow and I fall back into my Supernatural world easily.

Any parting words for the masses? Where can the peeps connect with you?

Follow your dreams. You never know where they’ll take you, but the destination will be well worth the ride.

Come see me anytime!

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Thank you so much for having me, Molly. It’s been a joy and a pleasure to talk with you. I must thank Lisette the next we talk for the fabulous introduction. Continue Reading »

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Greetings, Cool Peeps:

Please join me in welcoming Rob Dinsmoor, a freelance writer and yoga teacher. Rob has authored dozens of articles on health and medical issues, and has written comedy scripts for Nickelodeon and MTV. He is a frequent contributor to Zingology.com/blog. He lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his feisty orange roommate Bongo.

Thanks for joining us today, Rob. You’re my first single male guest, so I’m excited to ask for your insight into the dating world. But, first, let’s learn a bit about you. I describe myself as snarky, overanalytical, and of course, picky. How would you describe yourself?

Oh, melancholy with a sense of humor, a loose cannon with a heart of gold, a “bad boy” for mild-mannered women.

You’ve done quite a bit of work as a medical writer. What are the pros and cons of the job? Any crazy stories about working with doctors?

I love medical writing because I love learning about the human body. I’ve also met my share of “mad doctors.” My favorite interview was with a renowned neurosurgeon nicknamed “J.R.” at a prestigious metropolitan teaching hospital. I should have known something was up when the director of communications said he wanted me to stop by his office after the interview. J.R. turned out to be a short guy about 60 years old who looked like a cocky sailor. His head was shaved, he had Navy tattoos on his arm, and he wore cowboy boots. He wore surgical scrubs, but they actually made him look like he belonged in a dish room somewhere, possibly a prison. On his desk was a picture of him with his buxom platinum blond wife on some kind of fishing expedition, her cleavage being the focal point of the photo. He put his cowboy boots up on his desk, blew a smoke ring toward the ceiling, and said, “Okay, let me tell you everything you want to know about this procedure.”

During the interview, I pictured him smoking in the operating room and flicking ashes into somebody’s skull. After the interview, I visited the director of communications, who wanted to know what I thought. “The first time I saw J.R., he was hanging out in the hallway, smoking a cigarette,” he said. “I almost said, ‘No smoking in the hallway, bub,’ but inexplicably thought the better of it. That’s why I still have my job.”

Your most recent book, The Yoga Divas and Other Stories combines your yoga experiences with your dating experiences. Please, tell us more about this book and how it came together.

I basically just amassed a number of yoga stories, but I didn’t think the collection was big enough to fill a whole book. So, I threw in a bunch of other autobiographical stories, from my quirky childhood, my days in the dish room at college, my mob super when I first got to New York, and the toxic cookout thrown by a member of my writer’s group.

Your first book, Tales of the Troupe, is about your experiences with a comedy troupe, Chucklehead, which took New York by storm in the 1980s. Tell us more about this book. Is it fact or fiction?

At first, I thought the book was all about comedy writing, but then one of my fellow writers said it’s really about this insular little group and how they interact. It’s almost entirely based on fact, though I embellished and I changed the names of all the people except my own. In “Bad Karma,” I combined my two serious screw-ups so that they occurred on the same night. I also made up a story called “I Rode With a Maniac,” about my friend Rick and I coming up against a bouncer in Sheepshead Bay. I made it up because it’s something Rick’s character would do, and I wanted the reader to get to know him better. One of the characters dies at the end, the troupe disbands, and we get an inkling that the narrator later got divorced. So, a lot of it is about learning about loss. I was a little concerned about what the troupe would think of the book, especially the actress I had a crush on. As it turns out, everybody loved it, including the actress.

You have an orange cat named Bongo and I have one named Captain Jack. Is your cat as good at judging the women in your life as mine is at judging the men in mine?

No, Bongo loves all women and all women know Bongo, so he’s not helpful in that department. Some of my women friends have private conversations with him and get miffed if I eavesdrop.

Okay, let’s get down to the nitty gritty, Rob. I personally hate to date, but I do it because I want an everlasting relationship. Does anyone really enjoy dating? Do you? What are the best and worst parts of dating?

I don’t like conventional dinner dates because they’re so forced, and I never know the so-called “dating rules,” including when the first kiss is warranted. I have enjoyed more leisurely dates, like one I had recently. We met online at, ahem, a senior dating site, and we walked her dogs at nearby Singing Beach. I found her completely engaging, so let’s keep our fingers crossed on that one!

I’ve had my fair share of dates, but I’ve never ventured into the online dating world. I hear a lot of horror stories but I also know of several success stories. So, tell us, do you ever peruse the ladies online? Any stories for us?

I do peruse the ladies online. I find some of the profiles unintentionally funny. One lady went on and on about how she couldn’t respond to the tons of e-mails she received—but she would let us know if she was interested. Another one bragged about her high I.Q. and the fact that she shares a Briggs-Myers profile with only 3% of the population. (Since the Briggs-Myers test assesses personality rather than intelligence, what she was essentially telling us was that she was incompatible with 97% of the population.)

Sometimes I think we are all destined to have bad dates because it’s the universe’s way of giving us common ground and better understanding of one another. (I told you I’m overanalytical.) So, please, tell us about some of your worst dates ever. We’re all ears.

The worst date I had was through a personal ad in the local paper. As soon as we sat down together, the conversation turned to kayaks. She had made one from scratch. She must have mistakenly thought I had asked her how to do that, because she launched into a very, very detailed description of the process. I was so bored, I started to hyperventilate. I tried to derail the conversation by making observations like, “You must be a very detail-oriented and driven person to do that,” but she kept steering it back to the process of making kayaks. Then she started describing her job and its unique challenges in exquisite detail. Three hours later, she suggested taking a stroll by the ocean, but I said, quite honestly. “No thank you. I’m really, really tired.”

If you were giving advice to women about how to best impress you (and men in general), what would that advice be? And be sure to tell us what to never do.

What never to do? Talk about yourself non-stop! I’m most impressed by women who are comfortable with themselves and know what makes them happy. As much as I’d like to make a woman happy, it’s ultimately not my job—it’s hers. This I’m adamant about: If she’s looking for a relationship to change her life, it’s time for me to run.

What is it about the fairer sex that baffles you the most?

Most of my best friends are women, and everything about them still baffles me. What baffles me the most is why women stay in relationships that do absolutely nothing for them. I’ve never understood the concept of being with someone just so as not to be alone.

What are the top five items on your To-Do list?

1. Get paid to write comedy. Check!
2. Publish my writing. Check!
3. Have a screenplay made into a movie.
4. Enter into a healthy, rewarding relationship.
5. Can’t say in mixed company! 😉

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

I’m picky about food. I’ll eat most things, but I need a lot of variety. My favorite cuisines are Ethiopian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian. I’m also a little picky about women who don’t share my adventurous palate.

What project is next for Rob Dinsmoor?

I don’t know yet. Probably another collections of autobiographical stories about new weird adventures and revisiting old ones.

Any parting words for the masses? Any shameless plugs? Where can people you?

Both my books are available on Amazon.com as well as my website, You can also find my videos on YouTube (YogiRapper69). Thanks for the interview, Molly!

Rob Dinsmoor Website

Rob Dinsmoor Amazon

Rob Dinsmoor Twitter

Tags: bad dates, Briggs-Myers profiles, comedy writer, dating stories, humor writer, medical writing, online dating, personal ads, picky, rob dinsmoor, tales of the troupe, yoga divas, yoga teacher