March has come and gone, and April is around the corner, as is May… we have end of school coming up and that means: prom, graduation, summer break, and it’s time to start thinking about these types of articles right about now to maximize your page views.

Also, we are still in the middle of Spring but leading into Summer, so any lawn and gardening articles that can be both seasons are going to do well. In fact, you’d be surprised how well I’m hearing properly written lawn and garden articles are doing. If you buy a new piece of equipment for your yard this Spring or Summer, and in depth product comparison and personal story about why you picked the brand and style of lawn equipment you purchased will likely do very well – don’t be afraid to use brand names. In fact, you might consider doing a lawn article about comparing different pesticides, weed killers, fertilizers, plant food, etc… product comparisons do well most of the time and usually align really well with ads.

Some stations, like TBS and USA have Summer Seasons for certain shows. Army Wives is coming back soon, and a few others. Find out what these Summer Season shows are and write about them. I don’t know/think AC will pay much of television articles upfront, but the page views on them should be good if you write about them properly. Some of these shows are already showing last year’s reruns getting ready for the new season.

I don’t know why, but there’s a buzz the car repair articles do well during the Spring and Summer months. It could be because winter is over and people are doing things like changing out the anti-freeze with a better summer coolant or flushing their system – hey, how about a Woman’s Guide to Changing Oil in a Car? I used to do my own oil changes and saved a ton of money when I really needed it – a step-by-step guide for women would probably do well, dontcha think?

Tips for upkeep and minor maintenance on vehicles would be a good one to look at as well as guides and how tos for getting your car ready for a road trip, preparing your college student’s car for road trips, etc.

Then comes the travel and vacation articles. Summer is known for vacation time, so write things like what a college student can do for their summer off from school, affordable and fun family vacation ideas, and the like. Also, there have been changes in international travel regulations so an article about how to prepare and make sure you have the proper paperwork for travel might do well too, particularly for college students who might be traveling alone for the first time.

Well, these are just some article ideas for the coming season… feel free to add any of your own to the comments if you aren’t going to have time to write on them, so others might get a spark.

Keep writing!

Love and stuff,
Michy

One of Michy’s pet peeves:

Would of, Should of, Could of…

WRONG:

I would of gone to the store if you’d of asked me.

RIGHT:

I would HAVE gone to the store if you HAD asked me.

This one just irks the crud out of me. You need to know parts of speech to understand WHY it’s not ‘would of’ and ‘could of’.

The word OF is a preposition. It is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary to mean:

Now, in the following sentence:

I wish they would of told us.

Please tell me which one of the definition above OF meets?

Here, let me help you…

IT DOESN’T!

The proper way to write this sentence is:

I wish they would have told us.

I blame this particular grammar mutation on the internet mostly, casual writing in general, and on the school systems no longer teaching people how to diagram sentences.

Yes, I realize when lazy people speak we say, “I wish they woulda told us.” But just because we pronounce things quirkily (no, that’s not a word – it’s a michy-ism), that doesn’t mean that we lower our standards of writing and start using words improperly.

I know, this sounds more like a rant than an editing tip, and for that, I apologize. I’ll blame it on the pain meds and levaquin I’m currently taking, but I was perusing some online content today, stuff that was supposed to be professional, and I found “would of”, “could of”, and “should of” all over the content!

Oh, well. At least I and my readers will know better, right?

Happy editing!

Love and stuff,
Michy

Author Bio Victor J Banis:

I’ve been writing professionally for nearly half a century, with more than 150 published books to my credit, many of them critically praised (“the master’s touch in storytelling,” Publishers Weekly). Native of Ohio, longtime Californian and now live and write full time in West Virginia’s beautiful Blue Ridge. Most recent works: Longhorns (Carroll and Graf); Lola Dances (MLR Press); Slow Dance (CarnalDesiresPublishing). I write in all kinds of genres, both gay and straight, humor, mystery, horror, erotica, even a recent cookbook.

Author Interview

It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?

Victor Banis: I’ve mostly written, but I did work for about 15 years in Property Management in San Francisco. I’m retired now, except for the writing.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Victor Banis: I started writing as a young teen, a series of Nancy Drew type mysteries featuring a classmate, Carol Cail nee Peters, and wrote for years for my own pleasure. I wrote my first published novel mostly on a whim.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Victor Banis: I’ve always been a writer.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s. What are their titles; which is your favorite if you have more than one, and briefly let us know what they are about. Pay particular attention to your most recent book and/or your first book:

Victor Banis: Way too many to list here, but there is a biblio on my website, http://www.vjbanis.com These days I mostly let the stories choose me, and when they get really insistent, then I start putting them down. Longhorns took me over completely and I wrote it in two weeks. Lola Dances was an idea I resisted for ages because it dealt with a cross dresser and I did not think I could do justice to that subject, knowing very little about it – but, it just wouldn’t go away, so I thought I’d write a page or two to get it out of my system, and next thing you know…Slow Dance I wrote years ago, and it wasn’t very good, so I put it aside and rediscovered it in a box a year or so ago, and rewrote it.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Victor Banis: I’m always working on several things. I just finished a police procedural, Deadly Nightshade, that was quickly picked up by MLR. I’m critiquing works for a couple of writers, and editing an anthology of short pieces from my local writers group, titled The Green Rolling Hills – due out late this year from Wildside Press. And working with another writer on a humorous novel, Heaven Help Us. Also sitting down to edit Angel Land, a futuristic thriller.

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Victor Banis: Even after all these years, I am always wet-my-pants excited to hold a new book in my hands. I hope I never lose that.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Victor Banis: I listen to all kinds of music, but never while I write. I give my writing my undivided attention.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Victor Banis: Almost anything can – a comment overheard in passing, a photo, a phrase from another writer - Lola came from a novel I was reading set in the gold mining camps, and how hard it was for a woman then and there, and I thought, “What if it was a small, effeminate male? Wouldn’t it be really tough?”

What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?

Victor Banis: I was indicted on Federal obscenity charges for my first novel (for some very tepid lesbian scenes) and nearly went to prison. I became a strong advocate for freedom of speech in writing, and especially, for glbt writings, and my experiences helped to free all writers to write more openly, but especially opened doors for gay and lesbian writers, and ultimately made me something of a cult figure in that genre. It is very gratifying to know that I made a difference for others. I am nearly 71 years old. At this point, you don’t want to look over your shoulder and see nothing behind you but a trail of wasted moments.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Victor Banis: I’m a single gay male, now senior. For the most part, my family has been very supportive.

The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Victor Banis: I don’t feel that I create my characters so much as discover them. They come to me, and by the time I write their stories, they are already full blown and altogether real to me. I always see them as people I know/have known, and not as works of fiction. Yes, I think there is some of me in each of them – and vice versa.

Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?

Victor Banis: I have a great many favorite writers. I learned much, and still do, from W. S. Maugham, but I am entirely self taught as a writer – for better or for worse.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Victor Banis: I loved those Nancy Drew books. In the 60s, I read everything by Mary Stewart and Helen McInnes. I read pretty much everything by Le Carre and Graham Greene. But I am an obsessive reader. Lacking anything else, I read cookbooks.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Victor Banis: I don’t get to read as much now as I’d like and I find many big selling authors today quickly burn themselves out – great first book, sometimes very good second book – and downhill after that. I like Janet Evonavich. I don’t limit myself so far as genre. I never liked being pigeonholed.

Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?

Victor Banis: I don’t think they will have any Pulitzers or Nobels to mention. I never think of myself as a “great” writer, whatever that is. At my best – and every artist deserves to be judged by his best – I’m a very good one. I am essentially a story teller. I give people a good read. I can name off the top of my head a score of writers better than I, and everyone reading this could easily add a score more – but there are few who have worked longer and harder than I to master the craft of writing; not so very many who are more supportive of other writers or more open to helping them; and none, I am sure, more committed to the genre of glbt fiction than I have been. I’m content with that.

Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now – city? Suburb? Country? Farm? If you could live anywhere you want to live, where would that be?

Victor Banis: I grew up on a farm in a small Ohio community. That has certainly influenced my life, including my writing. But I lived most of my adult life in California, Los Angeles and then San Francisco. The ideal for me would be to have a place in the city and one in the country as well (that Gemini thing). But, really, I have always believed in taking my happiness with me; i.e., you live in your head, really, it doesn’t matter much where you are physically, the way I see it. Oh, a little apartment in Paris would be nice, I suppose. But I’d still be seeing everything through the same eyes. The grass isn’t really any greener over there.

Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.

Victor Banis: I had dogs for years, and loved them as family. But, my life has been lived mostly by the seat of my pants. That’s fine for me, no complaints, but I concluded some years ago that it probably wasn’t the best kind of life to share with “youngsters.” I’m willing to sleep under a bridge if I have to (haven’t yet, but come close a few times) but I would not want to inflict that upon pets. For me, alone works best.

Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?

Victor Banis: I live a very stripped down life, so there’s almost no furniture in my house. I have a computer station in the front room and a window on either side where I can look out. No music. Everything very bare bones.

Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?

Victor Banis: No television, but I do watch movies on DVDs.

What about movies? Same as above.

Victor Banis: Again, my tastes in movies are varied. I’m currently watching a TV series, Threshold, and another one, The Tudors, switching back and forth. I just ordered The Life of Brian (Monte Python). I’m more inclined to watch old movies than recent ones, but I enjoyed The Queen. Anything, really with Helen Mirren.

Focusing on your most recent (or first) book, tell our readers what genre your book is and what popular author you think your writing style in this book is most like.

Victor Banis: Lola Dances is set in the slums of NYC and the gold mining camps of California. As for genre, I suppose it would be classified as gay fiction, though again I really don’t like labels. Slow Dance is straight, an erotic thriller. They’re quite different. I can’t think of any popular writer to whom I would compare my writing style. I write Victor J. Banis books. I don’t know anyone else who does that.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

Victor Banis: I can write very fast. I have done books in 4 – 5 days. Longhorns took 2 weeks (but total immersion, which is physically very draining.) I just finished a police procedural, but that was a departure for me, something I hadn’t done before, so it took more like 3 months. I never grade myself in terms of how long or how quickly. I just try to get myself out of the way and let the book write itself in its own time. I am very much opposed to “forcing” a book by adhering to some kind of schedule, although I do write every day.

Is there anyone you’d like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

Victor Banis: I’m very fortunate to have a number of people who help me in quite tangible ways; I live rent free in a house supplied by a lifelong friend, and I have a nephew who helps with expenses – but both are modest and prefer that I don’t mention their names.

Anything else you want your readers to know?

I don’t think there is a much of interest to tell about myself beyond what can be found on Wikipedia or on my website, http://www.vjbanis.com I grew up in a very large family (11 children) and in dire poverty, but surrounded by intelligence and a sense of joy in living that has served me well all these years. As children, we were encouraged always to give whatever it might be our best shot, and discouraged from any defeatism. We were not, are not, quitters or whiners. I am a graduate of the school of hard knocks, and have lived a life that seems to me nothing short of miraculous, coming from where I did. I start each morning giving thanks for another day. I continue to be, as I have been for many decades, drunk on the magic of writing, and I think it is my writing that best defines me, for good or ill. Only the mediocre artist is always at his best. I’m happy to say I’ve written an awful lot, and a lot of it was awful – but, some of it, like some of me, is very good. As for the rest – well, if everything here were perfect, there wouldn’t be much point in Heaven, would there?

My books can be found on my website, of course, and on Amazon as well (Slow Dancing might not be there yet)

Author Bio Victor J Banis:

I’ve been writing professionally for nearly half a century, with more than 150 published books to my credit, many of them critically praised (“the master’s touch in storytelling,” Publishers Weekly). Native of Ohio, longtime Californian and now live and write full time in West Virginia’s beautiful Blue Ridge. Most recent works: Longhorns (Carroll and Graf); Lola Dances (MLR Press); Slow Dance (CarnalDesiresPublishing). I write in all kinds of genres, both gay and straight, humor, mystery, horror, erotica, even a recent cookbook.

Author Interview

It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?

Victor Banis: I’ve mostly written, but I did work for about 15 years in Property Management in San Francisco. I’m retired now, except for the writing.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Victor Banis: I started writing as a young teen, a series of Nancy Drew type mysteries featuring a classmate, Carol Cail nee Peters, and wrote for years for my own pleasure. I wrote my first published novel mostly on a whim.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Victor Banis: I’ve always been a writer.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s. What are their titles; which is your favorite if you have more than one, and briefly let us know what they are about. Pay particular attention to your most recent book and/or your first book:

Victor Banis: Way too many to list here, but there is a biblio on my website, http://www.vjbanis.com These days I mostly let the stories choose me, and when they get really insistent, then I start putting them down. Longhorns took me over completely and I wrote it in two weeks. Lola Dances was an idea I resisted for ages because it dealt with a cross dresser and I did not think I could do justice to that subject, knowing very little about it – but, it just wouldn’t go away, so I thought I’d write a page or two to get it out of my system, and next thing you know…Slow Dance I wrote years ago, and it wasn’t very good, so I put it aside and rediscovered it in a box a year or so ago, and rewrote it.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Victor Banis: I’m always working on several things. I just finished a police procedural, Deadly Nightshade, that was quickly picked up by MLR. I’m critiquing works for a couple of writers, and editing an anthology of short pieces from my local writers group, titled The Green Rolling Hills – due out late this year from Wildside Press. And working with another writer on a humorous novel, Heaven Help Us. Also sitting down to edit Angel Land, a futuristic thriller.

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Victor Banis: Even after all these years, I am always wet-my-pants excited to hold a new book in my hands. I hope I never lose that.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Victor Banis: I listen to all kinds of music, but never while I write. I give my writing my undivided attention.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Victor Banis: Almost anything can – a comment overheard in passing, a photo, a phrase from another writer - Lola came from a novel I was reading set in the gold mining camps, and how hard it was for a woman then and there, and I thought, “What if it was a small, effeminate male? Wouldn’t it be really tough?”

What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?

Victor Banis: I was indicted on Federal obscenity charges for my first novel (for some very tepid lesbian scenes) and nearly went to prison. I became a strong advocate for freedom of speech in writing, and especially, for glbt writings, and my experiences helped to free all writers to write more openly, but especially opened doors for gay and lesbian writers, and ultimately made me something of a cult figure in that genre. It is very gratifying to know that I made a difference for others. I am nearly 71 years old. At this point, you don’t want to look over your shoulder and see nothing behind you but a trail of wasted moments.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Victor Banis: I’m a single gay male, now senior. For the most part, my family has been very supportive.

The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Victor Banis: I don’t feel that I create my characters so much as discover them. They come to me, and by the time I write their stories, they are already full blown and altogether real to me. I always see them as people I know/have known, and not as works of fiction. Yes, I think there is some of me in each of them – and vice versa.

Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?

Victor Banis: I have a great many favorite writers. I learned much, and still do, from W. S. Maugham, but I am entirely self taught as a writer – for better or for worse.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Victor Banis: I loved those Nancy Drew books. In the 60s, I read everything by Mary Stewart and Helen McInnes. I read pretty much everything by Le Carre and Graham Greene. But I am an obsessive reader. Lacking anything else, I read cookbooks.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Victor Banis: I don’t get to read as much now as I’d like and I find many big selling authors today quickly burn themselves out – great first book, sometimes very good second book – and downhill after that. I like Janet Evonavich. I don’t limit myself so far as genre. I never liked being pigeonholed.

Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?

Victor Banis: I don’t think they will have any Pulitzers or Nobels to mention. I never think of myself as a “great” writer, whatever that is. At my best – and every artist deserves to be judged by his best – I’m a very good one. I am essentially a story teller. I give people a good read. I can name off the top of my head a score of writers better than I, and everyone reading this could easily add a score more – but there are few who have worked longer and harder than I to master the craft of writing; not so very many who are more supportive of other writers or more open to helping them; and none, I am sure, more committed to the genre of glbt fiction than I have been. I’m content with that.

Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now – city? Suburb? Country? Farm? If you could live anywhere you want to live, where would that be?

Victor Banis: I grew up on a farm in a small Ohio community. That has certainly influenced my life, including my writing. But I lived most of my adult life in California, Los Angeles and then San Francisco. The ideal for me would be to have a place in the city and one in the country as well (that Gemini thing). But, really, I have always believed in taking my happiness with me; i.e., you live in your head, really, it doesn’t matter much where you are physically, the way I see it. Oh, a little apartment in Paris would be nice, I suppose. But I’d still be seeing everything through the same eyes. The grass isn’t really any greener over there.

Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.

Victor Banis: I had dogs for years, and loved them as family. But, my life has been lived mostly by the seat of my pants. That’s fine for me, no complaints, but I concluded some years ago that it probably wasn’t the best kind of life to share with “youngsters.” I’m willing to sleep under a bridge if I have to (haven’t yet, but come close a few times) but I would not want to inflict that upon pets. For me, alone works best.

Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?

Victor Banis: I live a very stripped down life, so there’s almost no furniture in my house. I have a computer station in the front room and a window on either side where I can look out. No music. Everything very bare bones.

Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?

Victor Banis:

No television, but I do watch movies on DVDs.

What about movies? Same as above.

Victor Banis: Again, my tastes in movies are varied. I’m currently watching a TV series, Threshold, and another one, The Tudors, switching back and forth. I just ordered The Life of Brian (Monte Python). I’m more inclined to watch old movies than recent ones, but I enjoyed The Queen. Anything, really with Helen Mirren.

Focusing on your most recent (or first) book, tell our readers what genre your book is and what popular author you think your writing style in this book is most like.

Victor Banis: Lola Dances is set in the slums of NYC and the gold mining camps of California. As for genre, I suppose it would be classified as gay fiction, though again I really don’t like labels. Slow Dance is straight, an erotic thriller. They’re quite different. I can’t think of any popular writer to whom I would compare my writing style. I write Victor J. Banis books. I don’t know anyone else who does that.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

Victor Banis: I can write very fast. I have done books in 4 – 5 days. Longhorns took 2 weeks (but total immersion, which is physically very draining.) I just finished a police procedural, but that was a departure for me, something I hadn’t done before, so it took more like 3 months. I never grade myself in terms of how long or how quickly. I just try to get myself out of the way and let the book write itself in its own time. I am very much opposed to “forcing” a book by adhering to some kind of schedule, although I do write every day.

Is there anyone you’d like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

Victor Banis: I’m very fortunate to have a number of people who help me in quite tangible ways; I live rent free in a house supplied by a lifelong friend, and I have a nephew who helps with expenses – but both are modest and prefer that I don’t mention their names.

Anything else you want your readers to know?

I don’t think there is a much of interest to tell about myself beyond what can be found on Wikipedia or on my website, http://www.vjbanis.com I grew up in a very large family (11 children) and in dire poverty, but surrounded by intelligence and a sense of joy in living that has served me well all these years. As children, we were encouraged always to give whatever it might be our best shot, and discouraged from any defeatism. We were not, are not, quitters or whiners. I am a graduate of the school of hard knocks, and have lived a life that seems to me nothing short of miraculous, coming from where I did. I start each morning giving thanks for another day. I continue to be, as I have been for many decades, drunk on the magic of writing, and I think it is my writing that best defines me, for good or ill. Only the mediocre artist is always at his best. I’m happy to say I’ve written an awful lot, and a lot of it was awful – but, some of it, like some of me, is very good. As for the rest – well, if everything here were perfect, there wouldn’t be much point in Heaven, would there?

My books can be found on my website, of course, and on Amazon as well (Slow Dancing might not be there yet)

Author Bio: Rhonda Allen

I’m a twenty-nine year old mother of four, student, and cosmetologist. I’m mainly a home body spending time with the kids, writing, or idling time with some kind of strategic game on the Playstation. I’m am avid reader. I love learning about the economies in other countries, religions, history, and am fascinated by mental health. I consider myself an open-minded person, learning to learn how to do old things a new, faster, and interesting way. I am an optimist. I enjoying helping others and involve myself with people, groups, and organizations that are like-minded. I enjoy meeting individuals who, as with me, don’t allow titles and labels defining them, but show character by way of their actions. I hope to one day become more actively involved in community services.

Author Interview: Rhonda Allen

What compelled you to write your first book?

Rhonda Allen: It began as a personal journal; however, after dealing with the emotions that came with, I changed and added most of it. I thought that there are many who may have encountered the same experiences or know someone who has, and Growing Pains, if nothing else, would be a great conversation starter.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Rhonda Allen: Writing was something of a past time and that I kept secret. It wasn’t until I had the desire to convert my thoughts and feelings into a storyline that brought the wanting to be a writer about.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Rhonda Allen: Currently there are several ideas I have ‘on the table’. The next novel is entitled Whispered Fantasies and should be released within the next month or so. I’m also working on a book that will be, the male perspective of what Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale , if you will Of course the sequel to Growing Pains, Confession of Karma is scheduled sometime next year.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Rhonda Allen: Music I listen to while writing is dependent on what I’m writing. For example, if I’m writing sometime that requires a loving character then I find some old school tracks such as The Isley Brother, Earth, Wind and Fire.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Rhonda Allen: Usually and idea for a book is based off of a thought stemmed for a situation I’ve endured or observed. I allow myself seeing the different view points, being mindful of there being two sides to every story, and then the truth. Saying as much, I question worse case scenarios, the ‘would have, should have, could haves, and a story forms. I’m inspired by such just because the creative juices have room to compose.

The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Rhonda Allen: I do add myself or adopt the attitude of someone else in my stories. I think a writer is most creative in stepping outside of their everyday norms with a character.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Rhonda Allen: I admire authors Nicolas Sparks and Zane, but I do not emulate either. Nicolas is an incredible writer who brings life to his characters emotion in a way that commands attention. His stories leave you feeling as though you’ve experienced love and lose right along with each character. I have been impressed by Zane after seeing the once self publisher emerge. She is a poster child for a true ‘rag to riches’ tale that motivates me in continuing with pushing my own titles into the mainstream.

What about movies? Any that influence or inspire you to write?

Rhonda Allen: When I set time to write I make sure to be pure of what I may have watched on television or movies. I don’t want my readers feeling like they could have just watched this or that movie instead. When I am watching television it’s more of comedy just to whine down from the emotions needed to write.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

Rhonda Allen: Growing Pains took almost four years to write. Since I hadn’t intended on producing a novel I supposed time didn’t matter as much. Nearing the end of about chapter thirteen is when I made the decision to convert it into a novel and added more chapters and ideas. The last year of writing enabled the idea for a sequel so I had to ensure everything would lead up to that.

Anything else you want your readers to know?

My writing, as I said, comes after having a thought in which I’d like to express myself. Instead of having a thousand potential novels that I’d start I usually write on the MySpace blog. Those are generated by either my personal feelings of a situation. The url is www.myspace.com/rhondara. Growing Pains is currently only available online at http://www.amazon.com, and http://www.lulu.com/content/1713288. There is also a group started on Facebook.com called Growing Pains.

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Author Bio: Rhonda Allen

I’m a twenty-nine year old mother of four, student, and cosmetologist. I’m mainly a home body spending time with the kids, writing, or idling time with some kind of strategic game on the Playstation. I’m am avid reader. I love learning about the economies in other countries, religions, history, and am fascinated by mental health. I consider myself an open-minded person, learning to learn how to do old things a new, faster, and interesting way. I am an optimist. I enjoying helping others and involve myself with people, groups, and organizations that are like-minded. I enjoy meeting individuals who, as with me, don’t allow titles and labels defining them, but show character by way of their actions. I hope to one day become more actively involved in community services.

Author Interview: Rhonda Allen

What compelled you to write your first book?

Rhonda Allen: It began as a personal journal; however, after dealing with the emotions that came with, I changed and added most of it. I thought that there are many who may have encountered the same experiences or know someone who has, and Growing Pains, if nothing else, would be a great conversation starter.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Rhonda Allen: Writing was something of a past time and that I kept secret. It wasn’t until I had the desire to convert my thoughts and feelings into a storyline that brought the wanting to be a writer about.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Rhonda Allen: Currently there are several ideas I have ‘on the table’. The next novel is entitled Whispered Fantasies and should be released within the next month or so. I’m also working on a book that will be, the male perspective of what Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale , if you will Of course the sequel to Growing Pains, Confession of Karma is scheduled sometime next year.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Rhonda Allen: Music I listen to while writing is dependent on what I’m writing. For example, if I’m writing sometime that requires a loving character then I find some old school tracks such as The Isley Brother, Earth, Wind and Fire.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Rhonda Allen: Usually and idea for a book is based off of a thought stemmed for a situation I’ve endured or observed. I allow myself seeing the different view points, being mindful of there being two sides to every story, and then the truth. Saying as much, I question worse case scenarios, the ‘would have, should have, could haves, and a story forms. I’m inspired by such just because the creative juices have room to compose.

The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Rhonda Allen: I do add myself or adopt the attitude of someone else in my stories. I think a writer is most creative in stepping outside of their everyday norms with a character.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Rhonda Allen: I admire authors Nicolas Sparks and Zane, but I do not emulate either. Nicolas is an incredible writer who brings life to his characters emotion in a way that commands attention. His stories leave you feeling as though you’ve experienced love and lose right along with each character. I have been impressed by Zane after seeing the once self publisher emerge. She is a poster child for a true ‘rag to riches’ tale that motivates me in continuing with pushing my own titles into the mainstream.

What about movies? Any that influence or inspire you to write?

Rhonda Allen: When I set time to write I make sure to be pure of what I may have watched on television or movies. I don’t want my readers feeling like they could have just watched this or that movie instead. When I am watching television it’s more of comedy just to whine down from the emotions needed to write.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

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Rhonda Allen: Growing Pains took almost four years to write. Since I hadn’t intended on producing a novel I supposed time didn’t matter as much. Nearing the end of about chapter thirteen is when I made the decision to convert it into a novel and added more chapters and ideas. The last year of writing enabled the idea for a sequel so I had to ensure everything would lead up to that.

Anything else you want your readers to know?

My writing, as I said, comes after having a thought in which I’d like to express myself. Instead of having a thousand potential novels that I’d start I usually write on the MySpace blog. Those are generated by either my personal feelings of a situation. The url is www.myspace.com/rhondara. Growing Pains is currently only available online at http://www.amazon.com, and http://www.lulu.com/content/1713288. There is also a group started on Facebook.com called Growing Pains.

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Just ignore this post for a moment since I’m trying to get Technorati to quit saying 403 forbidden.

Be back with a real post later today!

Okay, let’s take a break and look at numbers for a moment. As of the last page view updates, using Randy’s nifty page view tool, I have discovered that my stats are as follows:

211 articles submitted for upfront payment. Lowest payment $3.00. Highest payment $50.00.

Average payment for all upfront articles: $7.30

Average page views for all upfront articles: 2599

That leaves me with 101 articles that I submitted for free, for a page view average of 773. Most of my free articles are poems I submitted prior to Associated Content rolling out the page view reporting and the performance bonus. For some of you newbies, AC has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and yes, there was a time when AC did not pay performance bonuses. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I would remove all my poems from AC if I could. This is what happens sometimes when AC changes things mid-stream on us. If I’d known that my performance would be hindered by the poetry that’s not easily indexable in Google, I’d have never put it up on AC.

Still, even with my poetry, my total page view average for all articles combined, excluding those published in the month of March is: 2032

When calculating my page views each month, I always exclude anything that was published within the last 30 days, to give those articles some time to get indexed and build up some page views. If you include recently published articles in your averages and you’re publishing content at least weekly, new articles are going to knock down your average page views and won’t accurately reflect your performance, so you want to only include things that have had a chance to gain views first.

Now, if I take the performance bonus into consideration, and exclude the free articles, my average payment per article upfront is: $12.25 per article.

Now, that’s not a huge amount of money per article, I know, but the neat thing is, that number will just continue to increase for as long as the page view bonus is in effect. By the end of this year, I can anticipate that number will have increased to well over $15.00 per article as long as the page view bonus stays in effect. When I calculated my average several months ago, it was only a little over $9, so it has continued to increase. That’s what you want to shoot for – steady progress.

I try to stop about once every few months and cipher out my performance and averages, just to check to see how I’m doing. As long as I’m continually increasing on my averages and performance, then I know I’m doing something right.

I highly encourage everyone to track your performance at least once per quarter or so, just to see how things are going for you. The goal, again, is to always increase from the time you last checked your performance. Your numbers may not jump quickly overnight and you might get discouraged by just watching the AC updates – but if you take the time to use Randy’s tool and figure your averages every few months, you might just find your numbers increasing steadily too, and that can be very motivating to keep writing!

Next, I’ll show you my top 13 performing articles on AC and their corresponding page view totals:

Leap Year Superstitions and Customs 9,072
Gifts for College Students 9,237
Jobs with High Suicide Rates 9,343
Generic Versus Brand Name Drugs Medication 9,389
Sixth Grade Students Have Sex in Class with Teacher Present 10,770
How to Catch a Cheater 11,066
Revenge on the Internet 11,201
Trust and Cheating Can a Relationship Recover from Infidelity 13,539
Best Cheap Homemade Halloween Costumes Ever 14,567
What is the Legal Drinking Age in the United States and Why 21,099
Dawn Dishwashing Detergent Its Not Just for Dishes Anymore 27,497
Corporal Punishment in School 32,752
Fifth Grade Students Arrested for Having Sex in Classroom 33,983

Lastly, just so those of you who are just starting out don’t get discouraged thinking you’ll never get past a certain mark… my lowest performing articles, which are all poetry have the following page views: 40, 41, 60, 61, 65, 72, 81, 83, 91, 91, 91, 92, 93, 95.

I have 33 articles between 100-199 page views. I have 37 articles been 200-299. My point is, everyone has duds, but as you can see, these lower performing articles aren’t hurting my page view averages too terribly much, and my stronger articles are carrying them some, so don’t let a few low performing articles discourage you.

Keep writing strong keyword articles, with good titles, and properly promote them in the proper venue and write about things people will want to search for – and you will magnetically attract page views and higher upfront payments too.

Now, on the subject of promotion, just a quickie: I have only actively promoted two of my top 10 performing articles. The others just snowballed on their own. My poetry, which I promoted heavily but can’t get keyworded, is my lowest performing.

This proves, good writing with good keywords improves performance more than all the promoting in the world.

Keep writing!

Love and stuff,
Michy

Author Bio Lily L Ratliff

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