Rhonda Zatezalo

Author. Dreamer. Designer.

Fiction

Alignment of Focus

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It’s July 2020.  Wait, what?

My last blog said something about 2018 and now we’re halfway done with this year. Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in touch. I had solid plans for 2019 with lots of focus on fiction, and less focus on non-fiction. Turns out, life presented opportunities to focus on non-fiction and it was a good decision

Flash forward to now and guess what? I’ve been able to focus on my fiction and have new work ready to show you.

So, how do you get your hands on the new stories? Patreon!

Cover image showing Boston street in 1919

Many people don’t know what Patreon is or why an author would use it. (I know, they’ve asked.) So I’m going to try and answer those questions now.

Patreon is a platform that creators of all types can use to deliver content directly to their fans. Patrons (aka readers) set up an account and receive early access, exclusive stories, and behind the scenes content for as a little as a dollar a month.

Why Patreon instead of selling stories on Amazon? (or Nook, Kobo, etc.)

Right now, the stories I’m ready to share aren’t book length. Some are flash fiction, some are short stories, and others are still works in progress. Short fiction doesn’t sell well on the ebook market, and you certainly can’t sell unfinished work.

I want to provide finished stories to my fans and get some feedback on the unfinished stuff. This is where Patreon shines. It offers features you can’t find anywhere else. As a Patron, you get direct access to creators. You can customize your experience to get involved as much—or as little—as you want. Like to give feedback on stories? Great! You can. Want to just read content? You can do that too.

The benefits to creators are awesome too. One of my main goals is to be published by a large publishing house. Publishing houses and magazines have specific rules for unpublished work vs. reprints. By keeping everything behind the Patreon wall, anything I share there is still considered “unpublished.” Which makes it more enticing to publishers.

I’ve finished a new Vargen story, complete with hand-drawn cover art. It’s a fun tale that follows a Vargen traveler to the city of Boston in 1919. What should have been a simple information exchange, becomes a sticky ordeal after an explosion floods the North End. This story will be part of an upcoming Vargen anthology, but in July you can get it through Patreon. 

So what do you get as my Patron? New stories every month in a variety of genres that you help choose, the ability to provide feedback, a monthly hangout with me, and a look behind the scenes into a writer’s life. I’d love for you to join me on this journey.

New Fiction Coming Soon!

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I’ve written a lot of new fiction over the past year. Many of the pieces have yet to be published. Last year was focused on writing and exploring my craft. This year will be focused on publishing. Of course, that still means I’ll be writing—more than ever—but now you’ll have more opportunities to explore the stories I’m creating. So where can you find them? Soon there will be several ways to get your eyes on my work.

lightbulbPatreon

Yes, I’m finally launching a Patreon Page. There, for just a dollar or more per month, you’ll have access to short stories, snippets, and flash fiction. At higher donations you can get access to my art, handmade jewelry, or get involved in the creative process. I’m still working through the details of the reward tiers.  I’m planning to launch at the end of March in celebration of my 42nd birthday. There will be a special free download for everyone who pledges in the first 30 days. If you aren’t familiar with Patreon, it’s based on the concept of artists having a patron to support their work. It allows for people to support multiple creatives, and for creatives to get their work out to many patrons. It’s a wonderful platform.

Email Newsletter

In addition to Patreon, I’ll be sending out a newsletter once a month with updates to current projects, personal news, and the occasional look at upcoming projects. The newsletter will be just to keep people updated as to what’s going on, but there might be an occasional story snippet or poll on an idea. Sign up here or in the pop-up box.

twitter iconTwitter

I’ve steadily moved away from Facebook towards Twitter. I find Facebook to be a decent place to check in with friends, but I’ve found a great community of writers and readers on Twitter. You can find me there @rhondazatezalo. I tweet about current events, stories, things I love and of course, my photogenic pets.

person readingAnthologies, Magazines, etc.

I currently have a few pieces of short fiction out on submission. I’ll know if they’ve been accepted for publication it the next month or two. If they are, I’ll let you know where you can pick them up via the newsletter or the website.

And just where is Vargen in all of this?

Coming.

Book one of Vargen is currently sitting with a developmental editor. It’s not yet finished. I want to make it the best story possible. Hence the editor. Some of you know this, but for the many that don’t, a developmental editor looks at the story as a whole piece and helps eliminate plot holes or continuity errors. They also help make sure each part of the story is being told from the right character’s point of view. I’ll working to finish up the novel in the next few months. Then I’ll be querying agents and who knows where things will go from there.

Wild Portal Child is loose in the world as part of the GenCon anthology, Missing Pieces. The eBook version will be part of the reward tier for my Patrons. If you can’t wait to become a sponsor of my Patreon page, or you just want the very first published version, you can pick up a copy of Missing Pieces Vol. 8 here. This is an affiliate link, which means I’ll get a tiny compensation if you buy it through the link. Otherwise all proceeds go to the publisher.

Follow Cheyaron (and Werner) from Wild Portal Child  as they find (or lose) their way to into Book one. I have a series of short stories planned for my Patrons. I may make the stories into a collection that can be purchased on Amazon, but that’s a long ways down the road.

Oh yeah, this blog…

I’d love to say I’ll be posting regularly from now on, but yeah, life gets in the way of my best intentions. I’ll post blogs when the mood hits me, or I have things to say, or when there’s news to share. I’ll try to remember to put a link in the newsletters about new blog posts. They will be pushed to both Twitter and my author page on Facebook, so if you follow in either place, you’ll know when there’s a new blog.

I’m still publishing articles for the welding industry and you can find the latest ones on the website. As I move to more published fiction, the articles won’t be featured as prominently on the site, but they will be there.

That’s it for now. I have a lot coming down the pipeline so stay tuned, sign up for the newsletter, hit me up on Twitter, and watch for fun and prizes that will come with the Patreon launch.

Cheers!

Rhonda

 

 

Win a FREE copy of Missing Pieces 8

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Win a copy of Missing Pieces Vol. 8~PLEASE NOTE THE NEW CLOSE DATE~
(I apologize to any who entered before the original close date. You are still entered to win. There was a technical issue that didn’t record things properly and I was out of town and unable to access the data. If you received a second confirmation email, please click to confirm. I apologize for the confusion. Thank you for your understanding and good luck!)

This first contest will be open to U.S. residents only. Sorry international folks! I hope to remedy that in future contests.

How it works
Sign up to receive my newsletter before Oct. 1st to be entered to win one of my personal copies of Missing Pieces, Vol. VIII. The winner will receive a free copy of Missing Pieces, Vol. VIII with the title page of Wild Portal Child signed by me. Free shipping is included. Winner will be chosen via random drawing.

No matter when you signed up, as long as it’s before October first, you’ll be entered to win.

By entering you’re agreeing to receive occasional email updates about stories and upcoming books, events and other contests. If you don’t like the content you’re receiving, you can unsubscribe after the contest, but I hope you enjoy the updates and choose to stay.

Enter here:

 

No purchase necessary. Any purchase will not enhance chance of winning. Void where prohibited. This sweepstakes is hosted by Crearies Marketing Design, LLC. Enter to win by signing up to receive an email newsletter from rhondazatezalo.com. Sweepstakes is open to all subscribers through 11:59 CST, September 30, 2017. Must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Winner(s) will be chosen and notified by email no later than October 12, 2017. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Winner(s) first name and last initial may be used for marketing purposes. All entrants are agreeing to receive email communications from the Sponsor and/or rhondazatezalo.com. Odds of wining are based on the number of entries, possibly as low as 1:20. Winner must provide a physical address (not a PO Box) for prize delivery. This contest is not sponsored by the publisher or editor of Missing Pieces. Value of prize is approximately $20 USD.

Five Takeaways from the 2017 Flash Fiction Challenge

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The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge is an annual challenge for writers to create a story of 1,000 words or less in 48 hours. At the beginning of the clock you are assigned a genre, a location, and a random object that has to appear in the story. There are four challenge phases. Each entrant submits stories for phases 1 & 2 where points are given. Then the top point earners move on to phase three, and the top there move to phase four. Every story is judged and writers receive feedback for each story submitted (one per challenge phase).

I learned about this challenge the day before registration closed, which was two days before the competition started. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to enter. The entry fee was $50 at that point, and though there is potential to win cash and prizes, I wasn’t sure how much I would benefit from the experience. (I don’t anticipate winning) I let my loved ones talk me into getting involved because no matter what, it sounded fun. Now the crazy weekend is over and here is what I learned from participating in just round one.

dual arch gravestoneFormat: Flash Fiction, Genre: Ghost Story, Location: Basement, Object: Tattoo machine

1. Making time and clearing commitments was essential.
Though flash fiction is short, it takes time to be concise. I’m grateful my husband doesn’t mind last-minute changes. We had other plans for the weekend but nothing that couldn’t be moved around or cancelled. It wasn’t so much that I was writing every hour that I was awake, but that, when I wasn’t writing, I could wander both mentally or physically as needed. This freedom gave me the space to develop four different stories for the challenge. I narrowed it down to two by the end, and that’s where the second takeaway comes in.

2. Understanding genre is important. I’ve never written a ghost story. I’ve written scary scenes and worked on thriller projects, but I’ve never done a true ghost story. NYC Midnight explains their definition of each genres on their website and they include examples from both literature and film. With just 48 hours to create and polish a story, I didn’t think I should spend too many hours researching. When it came down to choosing between the two stories I was happy with, I looked to see which story best fit the assignment given. After close examination, my favorite of the two seemed to fit the horror genre better. So I chose to submit the favorite of my beta readers.

3. Having alpha/beta readers was a big help. There’s no time to put this project “in the drawer” to get some space from it, which is a typical writers trick for perspective. Thus I relied heavily on my family and a few trusted friends for honest feedback. I’ve experimented a lot with flash fiction this year and my readers have been instrumental in my growth as a writer. (Thank you everyone!)

4. Find things that put you in the head space of the work. This goes back to genre a bit, but I found this invaluable. I changed the background in Scrivener (my writing program of choice) to an eerie graveyard scene and listened to creepy music while writing. When I was done writing on Saturday I started watching Stranger Things on Netflix. So even though I was done with my writing for the day, I kept my head in the genre through the evening. This helped a lot. The next morning I woke up with a whole new story idea which ended up being the horror story I wrote. Even though I didn’t use the story for the contest, I like it and will publish it elsewhere. I’m finding that keeping your head in the work, even when you aren’t writing, helps me write better, whether it’s flash fiction, a novel, or even non-fiction.

5. Reminder, sure writing is hard work but it can be lots of fun. Writing for a living means my favorite thing to do is also the thing I dread Monday morning. Ok, not really but you get my point. Writing is my job, but it’s also what I love to do, it’s how I process things, and as such I sometimes forget how much fun it can be. This contest really brought that home for me. Flash fiction is a great medium to challenge yourself as a writer to do something new. It can take you away from the everyday grind and perhaps be an introduction to a new concept or story idea you hadn’t thought of before. I’m looking forward to the Next Flash Fiction Challenge happening in September.

Bonus: In the past I’ve been known to say something along the lines of: “I hate Twitter, it’s stupid.” You know what’s really stupid? Hating something you haven’t taken the time to understand. Over the past six months I’ve gotten involved in the writing community on Twitter and have really come to love it. What an awesome group of people! Checking in with other writers via the #flashfictionchallenge hashtag over the weekend was a great way to connect and cheer others on. It also helped remind me that, though I often feel like it, I am not alone in this writing journey.

Wishing everyone a week full of your favorite kind of success.

Much love and thanks for reading,

Rhonda

Updates from a real writer?

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I heard back from the first contest in which had two short stories entered. And guess what???  I received my first rejection slips! Yep, both stories were passed over, but getting my first rejections kind of makes me feel like a real writer. I know it probably sounds a bit strange, but that’s how I feel. Both of these stories are still entered into other contests, the last of which announces in October. As always, I’ll keep you updated.

More story updates: I had my new editor look over “Wild Portal Child” and got some great feedback. Based on her notes, I made some changes that really make the story better overall. But now it’s almost 16k words! (oops!) Still the publisher is planning on putting it in the anthology that comes out in August. I can’t wait to share the first Vargen story with you. I don’t know if there will be online sales, (it’s a niche market) but I’ll let you know where to find the anthology if you want to pick it up.

I’m also planning a giveaway for one or two copies. More on that later.Bush Baby on the railing

As for other stuff, I’ve been traveling in Texas this week. I miss the cats and pups though, so I brought along my little bush baby friend. We’re documenting his travels. Here he is on the 8th floor, with the fountain below.

 

Hotel life is mostly conducive to writing.  I finished a new short story today and I like the way it’s shaping up. I’ll let it sit a bit than do a rewrite. It’s a story of survival, and the bonds that form in the midst of crisis. If I don’t submit it to a contest, I’ll be sharing it soon.

In other news, I’ll soon be able to share even more stories with you. If all goes well, I’ll be announcing that information mid to late July.

As always, thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me.

-RZ

 

“Click to submit”

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June is here! Wait, what? So soon? 2017 is flying by but there are good things happening. Here’s what’s new…

I’ve written two flash fiction pieces recently and have them submitted to three different contests. These stories are more contemporary / mainstream fiction than anything I’ve been writing. They are stories that resonated with me.

All Hallows’ Harvest was written for fun, but it’s a piece about death. The fun part was breaking the stereotype, not the dying part. It pokes at our expectations and the desire for just a little more time.

If no one but me ever publishes this story, there is still one awesome thing that came out of it – I found a great freelance editor. I didn’t plan on this story, I didn’t plan to write flash fiction, and I didn’t plan on it being any good. When it was done, I liked it. A lot. I thought, maybe I should enter it into a contest, but then I’d need an editor. I asked around one of the awesome writer-focused Facebook groups and was connected to someone who was willing to read it and critique it. I sent it off and waited.

Magic happened.

Was it a perfect story? of course not! Did I learn a whole lot? Yes. This was the magic. This is where I got to see things from a perspective I hadn’t yet. With that critique the story became so much better, and I became just a bit more confident as a writer. All Hallows’ Harvest has a final word count of about 980 words and is entered into two contests currently.

So of course when I finished the next story I sent it on for critique. That story is called Take Care, and it’s loosely based on a criticism I overheard. The speaker was making judgements of a stranger without knowing or caring about any of the details that made up that persons life. Take Care looks at what could have been truth and reminds me that we can never assume we know other people’s struggles. The editing process also made this story so much better than version one. It felt more real, more substantial. Take Care finished at around 1,100 words and is also entered into two contests.

And a quick update on the Vargen novelette, Wild Portal Child, (formerly called “Too far?”). At almost 15,000 words this story has been accepted for publication in the GenCon anthology, Missing Pieces Vol. 8. I’ve just sent it off for a final critique and proofread. I’m looking forward to making this story shine, especially since it’s the first look you, dear readers, will have into the Vargen worlds.

The earliest I’ll hear about any of the contests is the end of June. I’ll keep you updated as I find out where things go.

On deck for stories are a couple of ideas. I’d love to hear which you think I should write first.

One story I’m working on can be loosely called a space opera. It features a captain with an overly sensitive nose, who lost her ship and is working to build a new one. She gets caught up in several shady deals trying to buy a rare, top of the line air purifier for the new ship. Hijinks and bar fights ensue with both crew and customers as she tries to grease all the right palms. This one should be fun to finish and fun to read.

Another story I’m working on explores the prejudices of a society towards a girl caught in the middle of a police sting while sentenced to community service. This story looks closely at the ideas of race, the lack of support for our elderly, and the supposition of guilt by association. There are hard truths and a lot of unfairness at the center of this story, and I don’t know yet how it’s going to end.

I have more than twenty other stories ideas in my notebook. There’s random flash fiction, lots of Vargen short stories, and a few full novels that have been percolating for years. I’ve finally collected things and organized them so I can choose what to write next.

Wishing you happiness in all that you do.

Warmly,
RZ