The Life and Times of Rona Shively...Iss. 2

The Life and Times of Rona Shively
<-----Fiesty, Fearless and Fabulous----->
Vol. 1, Iss. 2 November 1, 2007
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In this issue...
What's new!
Upcoming Events
Fun Facts
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What's new!

I’m back on tour…or at least, trying to be. So far, I have a couple of dates scheduled for November and December. I was unfortunately sidelined by a terrible case of bronchitis during the last couple weeks of October. This illness caused me to miss my first appearance at the Midwest Kentucky Book Expo on October 27th. My apologies to the organizers of this event.

My next appearance is set for the Joseph Beth Bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 7th at 7 p.m. I’ll be there as part of an Author Night event. If you’re in the area, please stop in and say hello!

In December, I’m headed back to Columbus, Ohio to the Waldenbooks store in the Polaris mall. I’ll be there on Sunday, December 9th from 2 to 4 p.m.

Although this is non-Rona news, I have an exciting announcement! I recently submitted a horror story for inclusion in a horror anthology with Triad Publishing. The anthology is due to be published in February of 2008 and they will be including my story. The story is called Eleven and it is about a teenage girl who finds herself in hot water as she learns that she is on the list to be sacrificed by a local cult. This one’s creepy!

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After months of deliberation, I have decided on a title for the next Rona Shively book. I’ll be releasing the book’s trailer within the next few weeks, so be sure to stop by my website at www.theronashivelystories.com to check it out! The title will be revealed in the new trailer! For now, there is a wonderful new Rona Shively Stories trailer up on my website! I’ve made some changes to the site, so please stop by when you have a minute!
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Don't forget to visit my blog at www.wordsiview.blogspot.com. From time to time, I post contest announcements, news and other items on there. Stop by when you can!
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50 States by 2008-I'm hoping to get the Rona Shively Stories into libraries and bookstores in every state by this time next year. Please tell your friends to request my books from their local libraries! Let's get Rona on the shelves!
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No Takers!

Our Fall reading contest had no winners because…nobody entered! I was a little surprised that nobody wanted a $50 gift card, but I guess that’s the way things go sometimes. I will be holding another contest soon, this one won’t be for the faint of heart. I’m going to be looking for lots of creativity and the best interpretation of the Rona Shively Stories! More details will follow, so put on your thinking caps now!

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Upcoming Events

As I shared earlier, the big news for now is that I have some appearances scheduled. After taking a break for a couple of months, I’m excited at the prospect of getting back out there. Keep watching for more dates! I’ll be adding more soon.

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Fun Facts

In every issue of this newsletter, I'm going to include some bit of trivia about Rona Shively and/or some of the characters in her book. Pay attention to these tidbits because they will be on the test later! Actually, a few months down the line, I'll be giving away a big prize to the person who can plug the correct answers into a Pop Quiz!

This month's tidbit-Rona Shively’s sister, Jane is married to one of the executives at the local auto manufacturer in Clarkston, OH. The name of this company is not important, but there is an important connection between one of the church board members, Carl Freeman and this company.

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As always, I appreciate your support and hope you will continue to enjoy the Rona Shively Stories!

Until next time...

Rebecca Benston

My 50th post...

What to say? What to say? Well, I guess I will go with more of the same. I'm still reading several books that I think you might find interesting. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin is still holding my interest. It's not that long of a book, but I tend to have limited pockets of time during which I can sit and read. Browsing through non-fiction books seems to work better for me than trying to read through the latest book by my favorite fiction writers. Luckily, there are audiobooks. Without these, I might never get to hear the latest Lisa Scottoline or Janet Evanovich stories.

Right now, I have several "browsing" books on hand. The first is called, Never Shower in a Thunderstorm: Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths About Our Health and the World We Live In by Anahad O'Connor. O'Connor is the "Really?" columnist for The New York Times. If that prompts you to ask "Really?" then you've got bigger issues than I can help you with. Anyway, this book is about dispelling myths such as "Does the Spanish Fly really exist?" or "Does grilled meat cause cancer?" or the title question of "Do you risk electrocution if you shower during a thunderstorm?" Intriguing? Yes. I picked a few at random and here's what I found:
The explanations given in this book are too involved for me to share here. I was going to dispell a few choice myths for you, but then decided that it really wouldn't be cool for me to spill the beans. Sorry if I got your hopes up on this one. My advice would be that if you are really interested in things like this, it wouldn't hurt to pick this one up. The book has tons of great statistics and so forth and would probably make a great gift for the inquisitive types on your Christmas list.

The second book I am looking at right now is called The Wish List by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I like this one because I am always looking for interesting things to want to do. Not necessarily to do, but just to want to do. It doesn't hurt to keep your dreams fresh. For example, I know that I am not likely to find myself in a situation where I am swimming with dolphins. For one thing, I'm terrified of deep water and big fish. For another, I don't trust them. Although they are built up to be this wonderful mammal (I guess) that wouldn't harm a human being, I don't trust any animal that can do the things that dolphins can do. Hell, I'm not even sure what they can do, but they kind of creep me out. In any case, this didn't stop me from putting "swim with dolphins" on my list of things I might like to do at some point during my life. Kipfer's list includes this and other crazy things like visiting all of the Major League Baseball stadiums in the U.S., tasting the native foods of every region on earth, and even flirting with Paul Newman. The book makes for interesting conversation with those around you and it gives you something to think about other than the usual lists of things you have to do to keep your household running. My new list, for example, includes learn how to read music, truly understand football instead of just watching in hopes of seeing a fight break out, and having dinner with three of my favorite men, Bob Barker, Richard Dawson and William Shatner. Can you imagine the conversation at this table? What a dream come true this would be! I might have to add James Garner to this list, too. After all, that's what wish lists are for. If you get a chance, pick this little book up and carry it around with you. Wishing is good for the soul.

In my never-ending quest for knowledge, I have also stumbled upon several good books about organizing your home. I have so much crap that I work with on a daily basis that it is sometimes difficult for me to keep everything tidy. I found 1000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets by Jamie Novak to be very helpful. Novak is the founder of Clutterproofing products. This is trademarked, but I couldn't figure out how to put the little symbol beside it, so I'll just have to spell it out. In any case, the book gives an itemized list of things you can do to make each area of your home and your life a little more organized. I have been using some of these and I have to say, I'm impressed. Several of these have been very helpful and I'm only halfway through the list. If you are into organizing, check this one out!

As usual, I'm always looking for inspiration and I have a few standard passages that I like to read from time to time to keep me grounded. Cynthia Kersey's book, Unstoppable has been a motivating force in my life since I found it years ago. I often pick this one up and read through it until I find the one that fits where I am in my journey. For today, I will share this poem:

Often your tasks will be many,
And more than you think you can do...
Often the road will be rugged
and the hills insurmountable, too...

But always remember, the hills ahead
are never as steep as they seem.
and with faith in your heart start upward
and climb 'til you reach your dream.

For nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve
if you have the faith to try it
and you have the faith to believe

For faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill
and many defeats turn to triumph
if you trust in god's wisdom and will...

For faith is a mover of mountains.
There's nothing that god cannot do.
So start out today with faith in your heart
and climb 'til your dream comes true!

Helen Steiner Rice
Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True

If that doesn't motivate you, try a couple more cups of coffee and check back with me later. Try to have a good day and possibly, a good week. Until next time...

To POD or not to POD...

Why does that have to be the question? I've been attempting to set up book signing events over the past week and am having little to no luck because my books are Print On Demand (POD). As you may or may not know, there is a huge stigma attached to having a book that is published as a POD. I have to work very hard to convince bookstores that it is worth their time to have me come in and I believe that this is largely due to the fact that the books are POD. Another problem is that my publisher, PublishAmerica decides arbitrarily when to change the status of my books from returnable to non-returnable. This can be a little irritating since I am not personally notified by the publisher of these changes in status. I have been talking with bookstore managers and in the process of trying to set up an event, they have been the ones who informed me that my book is no longer returnable. And, this status can change several times a year depending on what appears to be my publisher's mood.

I'm not bashing PublishAmerica here, so please don't get the impression that they have done something wrong. It's simply a lapse in communication. This is pretty much the only issue I have had with PublishAmerica and as things go, there will always be something. My real frustration lies in the fact that in order to get my books into the hands of readers, I am faced with several challenges. I can either purchase my own books and do a consignment arrangement with bookstores who do this sort of things or I can beg and plead with other bookstores until I convince them that they should order my book and have me come in to their stores. Unfortunately, neither option is very appealing, nor are they practical.

For one thing, I don't have the cash on hand to purchase my books in bulk. I work part-time at a low-paying job and I really only make enough money to pay for daycare and groceries and the like. This is how it is with most people. For another, my books are expensive. A drawback of being with PublishAmerica is that you do not get to set your own price for your books. I can accept this, however, it does become an issue when I have to purchase the book for my own purposes. It is only on a rare occasion that I can get them at a special discounted rate. Generally, that occurs when I have no "extra" money lying around which is pretty much anytime you might ask me. Again, I'm not bashing, just laying it out there.

The idea of calling around until I'm blue in the face to set up events is one that I dealt with last year after In the Wash was published. I called and called and begged and pleaded and then called some more. I was turned down more often than not. I did manage to get into several bookstores, however, as I call the same places this time around, I am getting rejected. Even at stores where I sold out, they are telling me that management has changed and the process for scheduling book signing events is not as simple as it once was. This is quite the bubble-buster.

So, after taking a couple of months off from trying to do appearances, I am facing a dilemma. Do I simply market via the internet and keep my fingers crossed that a bookstore or library group will ask me to stop by? Or do I keep calling and facing impending rejection until I can get myself published by someone who isn't POD? Since my initial thought is that it shouldn't matter who publishes my books, what matters is whether or not they are good, I am guessing that I'll continue to fight the good fight. Trying to convince people that POD is not necessarily a bad thing is an uphill struggle.

I am branching out into some other arenas, however. Over the next couple of months, I am working on a project which I intend to self-publish. This one should be interesting. It's a women's self-esteem project for which I have been collecting data. I intend to have it finished and ready for sale by the first of the year. In addition, I am to be part of a horror anthology for my friends at Triad Publishing. My short horror story, Eleven will be included in this publication sometime next year. I am also working diligently to make the third book in the Rona Shively mystery series a novel-length story. In hopes of gaining entry into the mainstream publishing world, I am going for it. With all of this on my plate, I'm enthusiastic even in the face of rejection. Hopefully, I'll gain momentum as I go along.

Until next time...

What I'm Reading...

I find it hard to read just one book at a time...it's kind of like the potato chip thing. I've always been big on information. If I see something that looks like it might contain valuable information, I have to pick it up and at least give it the once over. This week, I decided that I should share some of what I am reading with you. Just for fun.

First off, I picked up a copy of Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Obviously, it was the title that caught me. This book has been tauted as "a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous." Fair enough. From what I have read so far, with chapters titled, "The Dead, Rotting Decomposing Flesh Diet, You Are What You Eat and Don't Be a Pussy," I can see that these ladies mean business. They provide alot of good information about how different foods can affect the body, including explanation of how sugar is made. This is good to know if you are one of those people who needs to know the whole truth about things before you can make up your mind. As someone who rarely drinks milk, I had to appreciate their words about dairy products. For years, I have worried that I'm not getting enough nutrients because I'm not drinking milk. As it turns out, the ladies say, "Bullshit." I'm dying to read more, but alas, there are several other books in the stack calling out to me. I'll have to bring you up to date on the rest of this one later.

I picked up The Lexicon of Stupidity by Ross and Kathryn Petras simply because I thought it might be funny. The book is a collection of quotes that are less than brilliant taken from the mouths of some of our most famous celebrities. I figured I would go straight to the ones that had to be the best...the politicians. Unfortunately, I didn't find one there that I felt like sharing here. The one I found that was an unlikely candidate for being held up in the spotlight was this, "We were disturbed by the ridicule because death, especially to the person who has just experienced it, is not funny." A spokesman for a National Funeral Director's Association is responsible for this one. I guess he would be the expert.

Moving on through my list to a similar book, The 776 Even Stupider Things Ever Said by our friends, Ross and Kathryn Petras. They seem to be making a good living off of the ignorance of others. Why not? It is perhaps the only thing that is out there in overwhelming abundance. This book is more my style. My personal favorite is the quote by Bob Feller, Hall of Fame pitcher as he talks about the intentional lack of profanity in his autobiography, "You won't find a single four-letter word in there, I don't go for that bullshit." You tell 'em, Bob. I like to hear the facts from both sides of the person's mouth. As a former Human Resources professional, I could appreciate this one, "A review of your application indicates that you are not qualified because...you were not selected." This was in an EEOC personnel memo in 1973. Cool. Just one more and I'm moving on to the next book. Being the nostaligic person that I am, I really enjoyed this one from Mike Ingham,an announcer on BBC-2 TV, "Thank you for evoking memories, particularly of days gone by." I'm still scratching my head about this one.

The fourth catchy title that I picked up over the last few weeks is, 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America. This one by Jack Huberman intrigued me because I'm sure that there are thousands of people out there who are screwing America and I wondered how he could narrow it down to a sensible 101. In this book, Huberman provides the name of the "offender" and some details about how they are sticking it to America. For example, I was surprised to find country singer, Toby Keith on this list. Huberman says of the lyrics to Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, "Too much crowing 'proud to be American' only makes one ashamed to be American, Individual or nation, a braggart is a braggart." Well, clearly, he would rather hide his light under a bushel. Sounds like his problem to me. I read on, hoping I might find an example of how I, as a non-bragging American might be getting screwed. Right behind Toby Keith was Joe Francis, the Girls Gone Wild guy. I thought to myself, well, maybe this one is valid. After all, I hate Girls Gone Wild and most things associated with it. I agree that this is blatant exploitation of women and that it needs to be stopped. Huberman states that this type of smut is "well-suited for the conservative Bush era" because it is basically R-rated porn and is slyly winding its way through our culture because it isn't actual sex, just nudity and skanky behavior. I'm still not sure what Huberman's stance on this one was and how it made it into the book. I am not exactly sure if he was against GGW or if he just wanted to point out that it is out there.

The last thing from this book that I want to share is Huberman's inclusion of Dr. Laura Schlesinger. I'm not sure if he has listened to Dr. Laura's show or if he just doesn't like people who call themselves Dr. He states that she spends "three hours a day on nearly three hundred stations" making people feel stupid, sinful and utterly ashamed of themselves. I'm not sure that is Dr. Laura's aim. My personal take on her show is that she is one of the few people out there who is not afraid to uphold values that used to be taught in every household and in church. There's nothing candy-coated about Dr. Laura and that's what I like about her. As a feminist and as someone who was raised as a Baptist, I have no problem listening to Dr. Laura's views on marriage, life, and family. She's as entitled to her opinion as anyone and I don't think it hurts for people to be exposed to a little bit of conscience if they don't already have one. Huberman seems to hate all things that point out that it is ok to be human and that it is ok to take responsibility for our actions. Although I have had lots to say about this book, I'm not sure I'll finish reading it. I can only stand to be disgusted for a small portion of every day.

Well, I've taken what started out as a well-intentioned rant and turned it into a bitch-fest. On that note, I'll give it a rest. Though I could go on for days, I figure I'll give this time to sink in. Be on the lookout for the next edition of the Rona Shively newsletter. It's coming soon.

Until next time...