by Keri Rozansky | May 13, 2026 | Blog
I enjoy research. Learning new things and how to apply them can be fun. I’ve researched all sorts of topics for a number of different reasons, from my writing to writing blog posts for other companies. A potential upcoming novel includes a topic I had to research for one of those other companies: color psychology. I never even knew there was such a thing until this company requested it be a blog post on their website.
So I dove in. What is it, you ask? Color psychology is a theory of how individual colors affect cognitive function, creativity, mood, and even productivity. Shades of greens and blues are considered calming – evoking feelings of relaxation and peace. Vibrant tones like orange and red evoke feelings of energy and passion, while neutrals such as gray and white provide a sense of serenity.
Color psychology is based on the general study of psychology. Like general psychology, it’s been shown that the experiences of colors can seem similar, but individual people have unique responses, even to ‘standard’ color schemes. It extends even further than just a simple color. Shades of each color, along with the lighting those colors are presented in (natural or artificial) can have an effect as well.
There are disorders associated with color, too. Like chromophobia – the fear of certain colors or shades, and synesthesia, a disorder where colors are attributed to certain things that aren’t necessarily tied to color in the first place.
The topic of color psychology is a big one. There are several aspects that can be used to create a compelling character or story with a unique twist.
by Keri Rozansky | May 6, 2026 | Blog
The next steps toward publishing my debut novel are nearly complete!
I got the corrections back from my proofreader, and discussed some clarifications with her. I’ll be applying those ideas soon. The next step: formatting and hitting Publish!
There are still a number of things that need to be put in place before I announce a launch date. Keep your eyes peeled – it’s coming soon!
by Keri Rozansky | Apr 29, 2026 | Blog
Now it’s my turn. Who am I, you ask? I’m Caty Farmington, sister of Phineas Greene. You’ll meet him soon. Or not. He’s always getting himself into trouble. But enough about him for the moment, you want to know about me, don’t you?
There’s not a whole lot to tell, if you think you’re going to get some five page essay about my life and times up until this point. My brother’s life story, or part of it, is coming out soon. I think this summer, and I hear I’m part of it. Not necessarily in the best way, too. But why? I don’t know. I’m a good person who has always supported my family no matter what.
I own my own travel agency just outside of Glass and have been arranging travel for its residents and others for years now. If they’re mentioned in Phineas’ book, then I’ve probably arranged at least one trip for them.
What else? I’m in my mid-30s, if you must know. I’ve been working in the travel and hospitality industry since I was a teenager, and only opened my own agency when I moved back to the Glass area about five years ago or so. I still didn’t have much contact with Phineas, for reasons I’m sure you’ll read in his book.
Sometimes big brothers aren’t very good at being big brothers. But I’ll let you decide. There’s not much more I want to tell you before his book comes out, just in case I spill any spoilers. He hates when people give spoilers, so I’m not going to say any more. If you really want to know, pick up the book when it comes out.
The information will be on the website soon I’m told, so just be on the lookout or whatever.
by Keri Rozansky | Apr 22, 2026 | Blog
I’m always reading, researching, and learning new things. Some may be implemented in a future story. Sometimes I take a deep dive, while sometimes I only look up enough to have a character talk about it or do something related to it and not make it sound like I’m relying on memories or what others have told me.
I did a lot of researching about various locations around the U.S. when I worked for a blog writing company that wrote blogs and website content for businesses all over the country. I can write about these activities and places like I’ve been there before, or even as if I live there and do the activities all the time.
I know more about LED lighting than I care to admit. I know just as much about architecture and construction as my husband who has been in the business for coming up on 30 years now. So when you read a character who’s a construction site foreman or an architect, know that I know everything, and exactly, what that person’s job entails, even if all you read on the page is the architect meeting with a client to go over plans. If there’s dialogue? That dialogue is backed by actual vocabulary and discussions had in the architecture and construction industry.
Since my upcoming debut is a murder mystery, which utilizes a gun sometimes, I briefly looked into things like types of guns, ammo, and the technical forensics like entrance and exit wound sizes and typical blood spatter patterns. Interesting stuff. None of which you can tell I’ve used. I hold back from giving a lesson on the mechanics of the type of gun used, and skip the scenes where the detective fires the gun to check if, indeed, the weapon found is the same weapon used in a crime.
Now, I’m diving a bit deeper into the world. When my husband’s company held their holiday gathering at a local indoor shooting range, I was unsure at first. It has been years since I’ve held, let alone fired, a gun. In fact, I’d decided before we got there that I wouldn’t. There was too much stacked against me. My excuse: I’m left-handed and everyone else, including the instructor, will likely be right-handed. There won’t be anyone to show me how to do things properly ‘backwards.’
But.
The instructor at the range wouldn’t let anyone not shoot at least a few rounds. When I tried to excuse myself this way, he wasn’t having it and encouraged me to come up, then showed me exactly how to do everything without once faltering in a way that would suggest he hasn’t worked with a lefty before.
Everything went well. I enjoyed it. It encouraged me to look into classes and learning the right way. As I looked into that, I’ve looked into the right firearm for myself. And the differences are interesting.
No, I’m not going to tell you what I’ve chosen, how much I’ve practiced and where, or anything like that.
by Keri Rozansky | Apr 15, 2026 | Blog
Many writers and editors will say working with an outline is easier and (possibly, in my opinion) quicker. For these reasons, I’ve been trying to outline as much as possible. It has meant I’m not missing as much as I might if I were to just write what comes and arrange it later. It was also lauded as the best way during the writing workshop I attended at the end of last year.
But.
Having an outline doesn’t mean you have a completely easy path toward your goal. Sometimes the words get stuck between my brain and fingers that want to type them out on the page. Sometimes I just don’t have time to finish an entire scene or chapter in one sitting, and it’s somewhat difficult to sit down and finish it before moving on.
Another method taught during the workshop was writing for at least 10 minutes a day. With an outline and that 10 minutes, I am guaranteed to have a novel-length story by the end of the year.
But.
I don’t always have those 10 minutes – sometimes I have five, sometimes I have 10, sometimes even more. I also don’t want to be drafting this story for an entire year.
But.
I ran into a chapter and scene that just wouldn’t end. For a couple weeks, all I had was those 10 minutes. The first few sections of the chapter went well, I was able to pick up and carry on and finish scenes and sections. Until the final scene.
Those 10 minutes a day were not productive at all, so it seemed. I would sit to review and keep writing, only to have a few more sentences or a couple paragraphs completed. I stopped counting the minutes and started counting days. It took about two weeks to get through that last scene to the point I felt good about closing it out and moving onto the next chapter.
Why did the writing of this scene not end? I don’t know. With my outline and the words in my head, I knew exactly where I wanted it to go. Still, I just couldn’t move the action forward. It wasn’t a particularly difficult scene in terms of what was going on and the characters involved.
I’m trying not to dwell on it, because now it’s done and I don’t need to worry about it until I go through and edit before moving onto the next stage in the publishing process.
Whew.
There are other things that I’m finding actually more difficult since I’ve started down this road of planning before writing. I’ll talk about those some other time.
For now, let me know if you’ve ever experienced this – a multi-part task that you could only get done little by little yet still felt you’d made no progress.
Let’s talk more on Facebook!
