by Keri Rozansky | Mar 5, 2025 | Blog
As I talked about last week, this year is my son’s senior year and is full of “lasts.” One of these lasts is coming up. Starting with the spring show of his freshman year, my son has been part of his school’s theater program. This will be his seventh and final show – it could have been the eighth, but he wasn’t able to participate in the fall show. He’s been on stage for some amount of time in at least three of those shows so far. The other four, including the one coming up later this week, he has kept himself hidden in a backstage role.
I love that he’s been part of the program. I enjoyed my high school theater experience and it is full of memories I will never forget. I firmly believe that belonging in the theater program for him meant belonging overall. When we moved from Arizona, he didn’t have any friends. Even his cousin lives a little over an hour away. It was up to my son to make friends on his own. Without a base of friends from his old school, things started out a little rocky. By the end of the year he had made two very good friends. One departed for another school, while the other is still a good friend after all this time.
My son worked his way ‘up the ladder’ if you want to call it that. Or rather, up the stairs. The shows where he had worked backstage up until this year he’s been part of the stage crew that sets and resets props and scenery. This year, he’s been promoted up the stairs (of the theater seating area) to the sound booth above. He’s responsible for sound and music cues, as well as turning the overhead and body mics on at the right moment. When he told us about this promotion at the end of last year, I had only considered it in relation to the two theater productions in fall and in spring. But it extends far beyond that, to running sound for choir and band or orchestra concerts, too.
When we went to the visit day at his chosen college a couple weeks ago, although he’ll be studying architecture, the theater school would love to have him, too. He can work in an on-stage or off-stage capacity, and I hope he takes advantage of it when he can.
This week, tomorrow actually, starts his last show of high school, but hopefully not his last.
Were you a part of your school’s theater program? Were you an athlete? Part of another club or organization? Let’s talk high school memories on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Feb 26, 2025 | Blog
It’s my son’s senior year, which means there are a lot of “lasts.” Last week was his last “winter break” of high school. You may think “winter break was in December and January!” His private Catholic high school calls the December/January break “Christmas Break.” In February, they have President’s Day/Winter Break.
We took advantage of this time and took a vacation. We went back to Phoenix to visit some friends, for my husband to business, and to tour the college my son has chosen to attend next fall. I had checked the website for a tour event, possibly one where he could view a class. Instead, I found the opportunity for an event with a lot more information and experiences focused on encouraging students on the fence to apply and those students whom have applied and/or been accepted to affirm their decision.
The trip started out a little rocky. We drove to the airport in a snowstorm, only to be delayed by nearly 2 hours on our takeoff to our layover destination of Dallas. We had planned some relaxation time in Dallas, which we didn’t get to due to boarding being closer than if our flight had left on time. We didn’t reach Phoenix until around 10 p.m. Our potential ride wasn’t going to be available, so we called for a self-driving vehicle to pick us up. They’re all over the place! Despite what you may have heard or seen about them, the ride was smooth and we arrived at our destination with no problems. We enjoyed it so much we booked one to take us to the airport the day we left.
We had a day to chill and do nothing before our schedule became packed. We attended the college event, where my son even got to meet with a current student and talk for a while. He was more sure than ever of his decision. We went around to some places we hadn’t been to in a while, but could only manage to meet up with one of our friends. My husband had a work meeting with a client, which my son (who will be going into architecture) got to sit in on. When the meeting finished he said “it’s like playing!”
I’m (not) ashamed to say I didn’t get any writing or editing done. I had my laptop with me, but I don’t think I even turned it on.
I finished up the week with some relaxation. Whenever we make the trip to Phoenix, I schedule some time at my favorite salon and spa. I got a new haircut, a manicure, and spent the day relaxing at their facilities which include an indoor hot tub, outdoor pool, relaxation room, waterfall pool, and more.
By the time I was done at the spa, we didn’t have much time between then and our return trip to the airport. The self-driving car picked us up and delivered us without a problem for our late-night flight. It was close to 4 a.m. local time when made it to our car in the airport parking garage.
It was a great time and we can’t wait to go back!
What’s the most recent trip you’ve taken? Did things go perfectly or were there mishaps along the way? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Feb 19, 2025 | Blog
I’m a bar owner, not a writer. The most I do is write emails to suppliers who won’t deliver when they promise. I looked, and some of the people who have taken over this blog have talked about themselves, their worries and doubts, and whatever. Pam talked about how she hated certain things about her life. Me, I just don’t care.
Like I said, I’m a bar owner, not a writer. Yeah, me and Pam have a past, but that’s really none of your business, is it? Has it influenced our current relationship? Sure, but so does that twit of a husband of hers.
What I want to know is why the hell that Ellison detective guy seems to think I have anything to do with anything. Pam coming to my bar to visit a friend and have a drink, and that idiot Phineas Greene living only a few blocks away shouldn’t have anything to do with what he’s investigating. Ever hear of coincidence, Ellison?
Damn cops want to make whatever connection they can to get their investigation over and done with. Why don’t you look at the real criminals? Next you’re going to ask me how I know who the real criminals are, and where to find them. Nope, not gonna tell ya. That’s for you to figure out on your own.
I’m done with this. If I keep going, it’s going to give me a heart attack with how angry it’s making me. Next you’re going to say I could have said no. But from what I hear, everyone is being forced to do this. Who’s next? How the hell do I know, but I wish them well. If they’re not a writer they won’t know what the hell to say or do either.
Anyway.
Bye.
by Keri Rozansky | Feb 14, 2025 | Blog
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Many people will be celebrating romantic love today. That’s not the only kind of love to celebrate today. I could delve into the history and lore of Valentine’s Day, but that’s been done way too much in my opinion. You can look up those facts easily with a Google search.
But first, let me wish you a happy Valentine’s Day. For those singles out there who think Valentine’s Day isn’t for them: you’re wrong. You can celebrate your love for yourself, your love for your family, or your love for your closest friends. Look up a Valentine’s Day activity happening in your area and go check it out. You may meet some new friends, or make a love connection you never expected.
Unless it’s your wish, don’t set out to experience Valentine’s Day for romantic love – celebrate love in general and all it has to offer to everyone who gives and receives it.
by Keri Rozansky | Feb 12, 2025 | Blog
Welcome to the next step of my social media presence! It’s not this blog, as this blog has been around in some form or other since at least 2011. I have a Facebook page that I try to keep up with, mostly posting links to the latest blog post on this website. I have an X/Twitter account, mainly because I was told it was part of a robust social media presence. Again, it’s mostly for tweeting out the link to my latest post here. In early 2024, I decided to start an Instagram author account, yet another thing I was told would offer a robust social media presence. Since much of the content I create doesn’t include pictures or videos, it sits mainly dormant. I prefer my face to not be in front of the camera, so photos and videos may be few and far between. Photos of my workspace, or the photos I use to put with posts are fun for only a short time. I’m not interested in Tik Tok, much for the same reason.
The final step in my social media journey has been to join Substack. It was part of my marketing and writing plan going into 2024. It took a while to get it set up, as I focused mainly on writing my novel. I avoided the big question: what does a typical fiction writer on Substack write about – and what should I write about? There are bunches of sites that focus on the craft or writing, or a user-friendly newsletter that’s not your boring list of articles laid out like a newspaper or traditional newsletter.
I didn’t want to start advertising my Substack until I had some content up. This included figuring out my theme: did I want to write about craft? Not really. Did I have a lot of “news” for a newsletter? No really. After examining some of the most popular writing-related and author-related sites, I came up with an idea: a newspaper for the fictional town where my novel is set. The Glass Creek Chronicles was born. The next step was to figure out content. The first several articles are introductions to the main characters, nuggets gleaned from the character biographies I’ve written for each.
Then came the news articles. News article reports on the deaths that are the inciting incident for the story. Town events, holidays, events at the school where my younger characters attend classes. A published interview with the senior detective tasked with solving these murders. Writing this as a town newspaper website has opened endless possibilities.
Now to the next step: Substack has paid and unpaid subscriptions. A paid subscription can get you special perks not afforded to unpaid subscribers. Those things could be anything the author deems to be limited access. Behind-the-scenes tours of writing spaces, special Vlogs, AMAs, podcasts, short stories, and more. Whatever they feel may add value to the content experience.
I’m still in the planning stages of some of this content, but it will be coming shortly. Once it does, you’ll be able to sign up for a paid subscription for just $5/month. Watch this blog and my other social media accounts for more announcements!
by Keri Rozansky | Feb 5, 2025 | Blog
I’m part of an online writers’ community that, without them, I don’t think I’d be anticipating the release of my first novel soon. They’ve pushed me to make a schedule and (mostly) stick to it. Of course, life gets in the way sometimes and I fell behind. That’s part of the reason why my debut got rescheduled from the end of 2024 to early 2025. I hate moving goalposts, especially ones that have been in place for so long.
That’s just part of the consequences of learning as I go. I have many years of writing experience, with nearly 20 of those under a professional degree. Other than still not always being able to tell the difference between affect and effect (yes, it’s true, that’s why editors exist), there’s not much I can’t do in terms of the ability and mechanics of writing. I hope you love the novel.
There’s more to writing a book than just the story, an edit, and pressing Publish on an online publishing platform. There were steps I wanted to skip – why do I need beta readers when I’ve been working on this manuscript for years? It’s perfect! Well, not quite. My beta readers, bless them, found plot holes I didn’t realize existed, and expressed needs/wants for information that was never followed up on – how did that happen!? Without them, these glaring mistakes would have made it to print.
The next step, or so I thought, was to send it to an editor. But first, the beta readers’ suggestions. I’m still working on them, with hopes to get them done by the end of the week. Only then, will I send it to an editor. After that, the editors suggestions will be applied, and sent back for proofreading. After that, I’ll be able to press publish. But again, that’s just the story.
What about the rest? What is the rest? That writers’ community I mentioned? One of the leaders gave a presentation recently about some of the things she’s working on and what stages they were in. She said she had to work on the “front matter” and “back matter” of the book? What the hell is all that? It’s the pages before the start of the story that include the ‘business’ of writing. It’s the traditional stuff you find in the front: copyright page, the ISBN number, the title page, a dedication if the author chooses, a prologue if the author chooses, and more. It’s the traditional stuff you find in the back: an epilogue, acknowledgments, a glossary if necessary, and a host of other information. It may even include an excerpt of the next book.
While I work on beta reader comments, I’m also working on these other things. They don’t take as long as the book itself, but they are things to consider for the final product. Without the knowledge gained from this workshop/presentation, I wouldn’t have thought twice about ‘front matter’ and ‘back matter’ and it’s importance. I likely would have added a copyright page and a title page, made sure the ISBN was listed, and left it at that.
So with many other things in life, I’m learning as I go. What are some things you’ve had to learn as you go? Had the learning process set you back from achieving the end goal? Let’s talk on Facebook!
