Friday 14 October 2011

Rochelle Weber's book Rock Crazy is published today!!

Welcome to my blog, on your release day, Rochelle.
Congratulations.



Can you tell us a little about your sequel to Rock Bound,  Rock Crazy from MuseItUp Publishing?



Rock Crazy is about 41K words, or about 128 pages.


Katie McGowan is bi-polar, and she’s run the gamut of medications, but nothing works anymore.  Everyone says her she should have a microchip implanted in her brain that can regulate her mood swings.  But Katie doesn’t want to be a robot.  In a tough love move, her husband, Scott takes her to the Moon—and dumps her. Katie’s stuck on that God-forsaken “rock,” and thinks she’s space sick. But she’s wrong; she’s pregnant. Now the surgery’s too dangerous and she has to go off her meds until the baby’s born.

Scott’s elated that he’s going to be a father and assumes Katie will take him back.  He has no clue how badly he’s hurt her, how thoroughly he’s broken her trust—or that he may not get her back at all.

That sure is a fascinating concept. Where did the germ of this idea come from? 

In college, I wrote a book called “Comes the Dawn” working through the angst of my own divorce.  Each semester I wrote to my professor, so I ended up with eight different storylines with the same two characters.  My ex-husband dumped me for my best friend (really the only other person I knew) in a town I’d never heard of, 750 miles from home, because he couldn’t cope with my mood swings. 

My own bi-polar disorder had not been diagnosed then. When I graduated from school, I no longer had time to write and the book languished.  Once I became disabled by my disease, I started writing again, that town became the Moon and the disease became the real villain in the book.  Some of the scenes really happened.  Many of the arguments with Katie’s mother are arguments I had with my mother when I was awake and she was alive.  I believe now that she was bi-polar and self-medicating with alcohol.

Oh my goodness. This sounds like a powerful book. I've always said, the most potent writing comes from within, from what we know.

Earth Rise
How did you choose your setting? Have you woven your own environment into your story?
The opening scene on Earth really happened to me and does take place in an area where I used to live.  Obviously, I’ve never visited the Moon.  However, I’ve used a lot of my own experience in the book.

Never visited the Moon? How do you know :)? You might have astral travelled.

Who is your favourite character in your novel?
Goodness, I love the Johnsruds, but Lena Johnsrud cracks me up all the time.  She’s such a typical teenager. 

I put my galleys on my Kindle, because I thought typos and such would jump out better on the different screen and I was reading it at Wendy’s.  Anytime someone walks into Jake’s Cafe when Lena’s working and asks for the manager, or asks for Jake by name, her reaction is, “Sure.  Daddy!”  Hopefully their ears will stop ringing by the time Jake comes out of the kitchen.  I read one of those passages and cracked up.  Then I realized I was laughing at my own book and started laughing at myself.  So there I was sitting alone at Wendy’s having this great laugh-fest for no apparent reason.  So, okay—I’m not certifiably crazy; I’m already certified by the Veteran’s Administration!

If an author can laugh or cry at her own story then it's pretty sure a reader will too. Congratulations.

 How many drafts did it take before you felt satisfied to submit Rock Crazy for publication?

Jiminy!  I did a draft a semester in college, then picked it up and put it down over the years, then gosh—I’ve lost count.

 What's the one thing you hope your readers will take away with them, after finishing Rock Crazy?

If one person laughs or cries while reading the book it’ll be worth it.

If one person recognizes him or herself and gets help for this disease, it’ll really be worth it.  People who are bi-polar are often misdiagnosed.  It never occurred to me that my temper tantrums had anything to do with mental illness.  I just thought I was a spoiled brat who hadn’t grown up. 

Brain Surgery
I saw a psychiatrist for several years and was treated for clinical depression until I had a housemate who recognized the symptoms, gave me copies of “Call Me Anna,” by Patty Duke and “A Brilliant Madness” by Ms. Duke and a doctor, and made me check into the VA for a week of diagnostic observation followed by a week of getting started on the appropriate cocktail of medications.  I always thought bi-polar disorder meant crushing depressions alternating with maniacal highs.  If my roommate and Ms. Duke hadn’t told me my highs could manifest as temper tantrums, I’d probably still be on anti-depressants, but screaming and throwing things at people.

If, by chance, you became trapped inside one of your stories, would you try to escape to your real world?
I am trapped in Rock Crazy.  If I go off my meds, I get violent.  You haven’t lived until you’ve been the only woman on the locked ward at the VA, but I’ve been there, done that several times, and I like it out here in the real world, so I’ll keep taking my meds and hope they keep working.  And if someone invents a chip and I can get the VA to implant it, I’ll be right there!

Do you have a daily writing routine?
I’m sure the Boss Lady is going to wet noodle me, but I’m very bad at sticking to a daily routine.  I get up around eleven and try to spend about an hour on the internet doing e-mail and promo, then write for about three hours, write a review for my Rochelle’s Reviews blog, and read an hour or two while I have a late lunch.  That doesn’t always work, because usually around four my granddaughter wants a ride somewhere and the rest of my day is blown.

Whom do you most admire and why?
My favourite author is Robert A. Heinlein because he wrote intelligent science fiction and he wrote it well.  I would have loved to have met him when he was alive.  I also admire Gene Roddenberry for his positive vision of the future, JK Rowling for her wonderful facility with words in the Harry Potter series, Ginger Simpson for her humor, Cyrus Keith who never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat burning up the pages, Roseanne Dowell for her sweet romances, and our fearless leader, Lea Shizas who is tireless in her efforts to make MuseItUp and each of us authors shine.

Here! here!

When you aren’t writing, what do you enjoy most?
I love spending time with my grandkids, playing Buzztime trivia, singing karaoke, and prowling the Volo Auto Museum and making people feel welcome there.

What's the most important thing you would like readers to know about you as an author?
I try to write honest books with both heart and brains.

Apart from ‘never give up’ what advice as a writer would you give to someone who takes their writing seriously?
Buy a dictionary and Style Guide—the Chicago Manual of Style is what most publishers use.  Study commas, comma splices, semi-colons, ellipses, em-dashes, homonyms, capitalization, etc.  Write your first draft and set it aside until you’ve finished the first draft of your next book.  Go back and look for head-hopping, consistency, info-dumps, passive voice, too many adverbs, and set it aside again.  When you go back to it, do a line edit for spelling and grammar.  Go through it backward if you have to.  Don’t rely on Word; they’re frequently wrong.  Use that style guide.  It’s much more important than a Thesaurus.

Well, Rochelle, it is clear to me you have written a timely book that will be of great benefit to the people who need your help, and to those who care about their fellow man.
Where can we reach you.
See What I’m Reading at Rochelle’s Reviews:  http://rochellesreviews.com/
Follow Me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/RochelleWeber
Thank you for being my guest today, Rochelle

Thank you for having me.  Here’s a short excerpt of Rock Crazy.  This takes place soon after they’ve landed on the Moon.  Rock Crazy will be available from today at MuseItUp Publishing. Here’s the link:  http://tinyurl.com/museituprockcrazy

Rockton, the Moon 19° North 29° East
February, 2066

Scott came home, and she was doing her hair. It was sticking up all over, and she actually thought it looked cool.
“Whad’ya do?” he asked. “Stick your finger in a socket?”
Now a sane person would have taken that as a joke. But not crazy Katie. She went off on him. She screamed, shouted, and tried to rage around the room, but she wasn’t used to the lower gravity, and she bounced off a wall and ended up on her butt. In fact, she fell slowly, but then she bounced again when she hit the floor. She came back down still in that maddening slow-motion, spluttering and throwing her same arm out to break her fall. Fortunately, she landed softly enough to prevent anymore damage to her wrist.
Falling in slo-mo tends to put a real damper on one’s temper. Scott laughed so hard, he ended up bouncing onto the floor next to her. She glared at him.
“Y-You looked so f-funny floating d-down to the f-floor,” he gasped.
She glared some more.

“And…and then, y-you b-bounced!”
“There’s nothing funny about it,” Katie replied, trying to keep her own laughter from bubbling up at their predicament. Scott stood up, managing to do so without bouncing, and offered her his hand.
“I can do it,” Katie said, stubbornly. She over-compensated the amount of energy she’d need to stand up and bounced again. Scott tried to catch her, and they both went back down.
“C’mon, honey,” he said. “You have to admit it’s funny as hell.” Tears were leaking from the corners of his eyes, he was laughing so hard.

Rochelle has a copy of her novel Rock Crazy to give away to one lucky guest at her Launch Party which follows right. Please enter the garden gate, via the comments, at your own risk, hehehe. Right Here and Now. Welcome! and writers, bring your own characters with you to share in the fun.

36 comments:

Wendy said...

Welcome Everybody!! The tables are loaded and the weather is perfect. Come into the garden and greet out Guest of Honour Rochelle. Here she is, sitting on the moon-shaped rock sipping crystal clear earth water drawn from my natural spring. Doesn't she look lovely and serene?

Roseanne Dowell said...

Hi, Wendy, Hi Rochelle. Of course she looks lovely, doesn't she always. Okay, where's the cheesecake? LOL

Rosalie Skinner said...

Hi Roseanne, Wendy, Rochelle, I brought some cider and lamingtons. The snickerdoodles are still baking. Not sure if the cinnamon will attract the sybil. Don't want that bat ruining a perfect day.
Serene, now Wendy, how did you manage that? Where's the elephant, the baby dragon? The sword wielding teenage girls? I guess they are out the back by the pool. I might hang here for a while. Cheesecake, Roseanne, you are a brave one!! Congratulations Rochelle!! *raises glass* Cheers!

Unknown said...

DON'T DRINK THE WATER!!! hehehe.

Can't stay long right now but I will be back. Book launching tomorrow and I have to work. *insert sad face here*

Rochelle, congratulations on a wonderful party and book. Wendy is the best hostess plus she's been known to do some wild and crazy things. 'Course, haven't we all?

I'll be back...

Unknown said...

Whoops! Had to sneak back for the snickerdoodles...where are they? *insert another sad face here*

Wendy said...

Hi Roseanne.
So you are one of the courageous ones. You came with good wishes for Rochelle knowing the little dragon and bat might get you. That is wonderful. Here take a big piece of Tiramisu, just for you!

Rosalie Skinner said...

Karen, here they are, hot and steaming. Still no sign of the bat. So help yourself!!

Wendy said...

Hi Rosalie,
Cider, that's great. Caleath will drink it all though if we don't hide some. Rebecca must have kept her sword wielding teens at home.
Oh well, your hexing mage will be here soon, I'm sure. There a fruit salad but I think the bat is into that already. Never mind we'll just top it up with cream.

Wendy said...

Phew,
Thanks for the warning Karen. Hugs. Do you know something about the waterthat I don't? I'll get Rosalie to put on her painter's hat and make a warning sign. How much did you drink Rochelle? Has it affected you? Have some champers. Did anyone bring some magic antidote food?

Rosalie Skinner said...

I painted the sign, but the elephant helped.
The splatter looks like someone vomited over my lovely calligraphy!
Still. I think it gets the message across.

The mage is asleep, one glass of cider and he's out like a light. If we need an antidote, we can wake him.

Wendy said...

I think the water has put Rochelle to sleep. We might need a potion to wake her up. Please pass the Spitzbeube cookies. There are plenty more on the plate at the end of my blog.

Wendy said...

It's Karen Cote's Launch Day too for Erotic Deception. We are dancing in a ring of fire for you Karen. Congratulations!! Raising my glass of something special, especially for you. I'm so excited for you.

MuseItUp Publishing said...

So we're smooching with Erotic Deceptions and crying with Rock Crazy. Tell you that's an amazing combo. But do we cry and sympathize first and then smooch? Guess so, eh? said the Canadian. hehehehe

Wendy said...

lol. Smooch-cry-smooch - Ah that's the secret ingredient for the magic elixer to heal Rochelle from the strange water. Smooch powder. Thanks Lea, I'll send my sibyl bat for some, tinged with cinnamon.

Unknown said...

Ewww. What did I step in? Ro, please tell me you dropped your cheesecake!!!

Hi Wendy. Thank you so much for this fabulous party. I think your guest of honor drank the water, huh? Psssst. Did you steal Lea's wet noodle again while she was distracted here? I love it when you do that. Makes me giggle and feel mischievous.

Whoops. Hubby just came home. Will you hide my drink? I'm not s'pose to celebrate 'til tomorrow. I can't let him know I'm here. He thinks you guys party too much and are a bad influence. hehehe

Gotta go.

Wendy said...

Yes, go Karen. I'll hide your drink under a hawthorn bush where Billy sleeps. He's a bonsai bull so won't drink it while you are away.

Rosalie Skinner said...

Karen, We will be well and truly smooched and teary by the time your release day arrives. Where and when, what should we bring?
Too much party? Is there such a thing? Tell hubby to come too!! I am sure we could entertain him.

Wendy, I thought you said Billy wouldn't dring that? Look at the way he's behaving? Is he really making eyes at the gopher?

Wendy said...

Oh No!
Well at least Karen's elephant didn't tread on the,. lol.

Unknown said...

Hey! What happened to my drink? Finally got hubby to sleep and now look what happened.

Oh well. There's still hope.

After all, tomorrow is another day...

Thanks you guys. Love you both.

Barbara Ehrentreu said...

Did I get here too late again? You know Carolyn had some issues with Jennifer again. jennifer can't seem to stop and now Carolyn is having to cover up for her all the time. They got me involved and it was out of hand! So neither of them is here with me this morning.

I was up all night with them so how was the party? Is anything left? I brought chocolate chocolate chip cookies. It's a new recipe so let me know what you think. Where's Rochelle? What's this about drinking the water?

Oh, no, is that cheesecake? Maybe a little piece. Yes, oh yum. I'm eating it fast. Gotta go, because I'm too tired to enjoy myself. Will pop into Karen's party when she invites us. After I've gotten my beauty sleep. It's miserable out anyway.

Congratulations Rochelle! Hope you can enjoy your party.:)

Barbara Ehrentreu said...

Oh, forgot to say hi to everyone here.

Hi Wendy! So glad you are holding this awesome party for Rochelle. I should have had you host mine. Maybe you'll do the one for the print edition coming out in November.:)

Hi Roseanne, Rosalie and of course, Karen. Can't wait to go to your party, Karen. Too sleepy now.

Charlie said...

Happy Book birthday! Yay. Raising a glass and cheering for you. Whoot, whoot, whoot!

Cyrus Keith said...

Hey, did someone remember to brew the coffe? I brought cheesecake. Grats, Rochelle! *hugs*

Rochelle Weber Author said...

Wow! I an SO not a morning person. It's not quite noon here. Thanks for coming everyone. So many of my favorite authors!

Barbara, you have to get Carolyn to get Jennifer to do something about her problem. You know what I mean.

Aw me-ann. All these goodies! I don't suppose any of them are both gluten- and sugar-free? My food plan is pretty limited. Cheesecake? Boy, I used to love cheesecake. I think it's gluten-free if it's made without a crust, but it still has sugar. Anyway, the crust was yummy, too.

And even the boss lady stopped by!

Karen! We're launch-mates! Congratulations! Smooches in Erotic Deception and crying through Rock Crazy! Wow! How does one decide? I suppose people will have to buy both.

Wendy said...

Lovely to see you here Rochelle. I was worried the effects of the earth water that made you invisible could not be reversed. Phew! Thank goodness for the smooch powder. That worked. Congratulations -grab your glass -oh no - safer to have some fruit salad oh no (bat was seen in there) un tiramisu -- oh no - all gone. Ah Kangaroo sausage - always safe to fall back on. Raise your kanga bangers to Rochelle and Karen!! Yeah! May you both have great sales and happy readers.

Pat McDermott said...

OK, it's still Friday in New Hampshire, so I'm not late, right? Congrats on the release of Rock Crazy, Rochelle! Is there any chocolate around?

Wendy said...

Hi Barbara. You arrived on time. We start partying early in Oz and end late. It's always daytime in this garden. My husband always says, the party never ends! hehe. I can understand your difficulties controlling Jennifer. Carolyn is a lovely girl.

You are a lovely cook. These choc chip cookies get better everytime.
What is your seceret to having your book in print by Nov?

Wendy said...

Oh there you are Charlie and Cyrus! Huge welcome. It's safe to drink anything but the water. Cyrus, may I ask ... is that Muse cheesecake, hide it quickly, that is forbidden fruit.

Do you like shrimps or lamb or crocodile from the BBQ?

Wendy said...

Hugs Pat, never too late for you!!
Yes the chocolate fountain is just through The Glimmer. A prince jumped in and came out disquised as a chocolate soldier. See him standing there. He'll wave back when he melts. hehehe

Rochelle Weber Author said...

Hi, Pat. Thanks for coming. I was over at Karen's party. Or rather Katie McGowan was. I had to be sure she didn't go off on anyone. Unless she gets that chip implanted in her brain, she's not going to be too stable. But Lily Delaney was over there complaining about having been cooped up in Karen's book Erotic Deception, which also released today, and Katie went over to tell Lily she didn't know the meaning of cooped up. Fortunately, she did so in a ladylike manner. Phew!

Hugs,
Rochelle

Laurel said...

This sounds a wonderful book, Rochelle. Especially for people who have bipolar or who have a friend or relative with bipolar. It's amazing how often the disease goes undiagnosed. A friend of mine who had it for years, ended up diagnosing herself and seeking treatment.

Marella slipped out to the aspen grove to watch the moon goddess, Arianrhod, rise above the hills.
Kneeling in homage, she whisperd,
Chaste goddess of the moon
Three fountains rise before
your chair.
Three rings of fire surround your bower
in Caer Sidi, castle of glass.

Marella raised her glance to the moon, then fell back to her knees. A woman had opened the door of some sort of flying craft. Marella thought it must fly. The craft didn't have wheels like the chariots which the Celts rode into battle.
She was truly blessed. It was the first time Riarhod had shown herself.

Marella is a character in my book, Crossroads at Isca. A novel set in Roman Britain. It is available as a download from Kindle, Smashwords, Sony, Apple and various other sites.
http://laurellamperdwriter.weebly.com

Wendy said...

Hi Laurel,
Welcome to the party. Will you partake of some of Rosalie's 'special' cider? I saw how shocked your Roman Britain Marella was when she encountered Rochelle's space craft. LOL. The look on her face! :)

Rosalie Skinner said...

Laurel, Great to see you here.
Rochelle, the custard in the fridge next to the forbidden fruit is sugar, gluten and dairy free... and still tastes good with the fresh stawberries and blueberries.
Is the space ship still around, I hope Caleath doesn't try to travel off planet... hmm.. he's still got a few books worth of quest to get through before he can leave!! Don't let him talk to Karen's Lily about freedom. Hmm...
Laurel, would your Marella distract him... although, the moon wouldn't be far enough away for him... maybe he won't be tempted. I just can't afford to have him absent now.

Rochelle Weber Author said...

Hi, Laurel: We have a Wiccan High Priestess among our Chaplains in Rockton. Cyrstal is more prominent in Rock Bound than in Rock Crazy, but she is mentioned. And Rosalie, we'll keep an eye out for Caleath. Although he'd need both a time machine and a space craft to get here.

Right now, all we have are shuttles, but they run regularly now that the Moonies're accepting more immigrants and tourists. Annie can tell you more about that.

That's my signal. Someone's steak is done. Gotta slide. Thanks for stopping by. You're really lucky I'm having a good day today. I'm almost off my bi-polar meds and some days I just stand in the middle of the restaurant and cry.

Rochelle Weber Author said...

That was Katie, from Rock Crazy. I'd like to thank you ladies for stopping by, too.

And thanks for the custard!

Hugs,
Rochelle

Rochelle Weber Author said...

Thank you everyone for coming to my launch party. The winner of a copy of Rock Crazy is Barbara Ehrentreau! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy my book as much as I enjoyed If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor.

Hugs,
Rochelle