adminderella.com

Many of you probably know the blogger moooooog35 (aka Rodney LaCroix).  But, did you know that he’s written a book?

Yes,  indeed, the literary world has been invaded by his new book, Things Go Wrong for Me, and I had the opportunity to interview him and get some insight into the wild world he calls home.

Welcome to Adminderella, Rodney!  Lets get down the the interrogation interview:

Me:  Did you start blogging with the intention of writing a book or was the book a happy accident?

Rodney:  I started blogging with the intention of getting rich. After about the second day of blogging I realized this was an exercise in futility but, since I’d already started and didn’t feel like working all that much I just kept right on going.

I’ve always wanted to write a book but then 50 Shades of Grey came out and burst my bubble so I went this route instead.

Me:  So, how’s that blog ad revenue thing working out for you? Any better now that you’ve got a book deal?

Rodney:  The blog ad stuff notsomuch. However, maybe that will all change once the book comes out and sells a million copies.

The best blog deal I have is with an Adult Toy Mail-Order store who gives me a $50 gift card every time I write a post. That may sound awesome but my girlfriend is the one who really makes out on the deal because it’s 99% dildos and vibrators and maybe (MAYBE) 1% blow up dolls. So the site is kind of geared towards the ladies.

Me:  What advice would you give fellow bloggers on getting a book deal?

Rodney:  Stick with it. Eventually, if your writing is good enough, someone will notice you and something will happen. Or, in my case, even if your writing kind of sucks but you draw funny pictures, something still might happen. If it doesn’t happen, at least you killed some time writing when you could be doing tedious stuff like mowing lawns and shit.

Me:  Is this book something you’re going to let your kids read?  Perhaps related, how much therapy do you think your kids will need?

Rodney:  GAH.

Nononononononoooo. Kids are not reading this until they are in their 60′s and I’m dead. I talk about SHAVING MY BALLS for my vasectomy, FOR CHRISSAKES. No child should be privy to that. Ever. Never ever never ever.

So, um. On your second question? TONS of therapy.

Me: So, you’d better sell a bunch of books, huh? Therapy can get expensive… and you have TWO kids.   So, do you see the potential for your book to be adapted to a screenplay?  If it is made into a movie, who do you want to play you?

Rodney:  I see this less a screenplay and more ‘Broadway Musical’ – like ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’ but more ‘Rodney – short unknown semi-bald guy.’ That being said, I can see my part being played by either Ben Affleck or Danny DeVito. Maybe both (younger vs. older but I’m not sure who plays which part yet).

Me: When you do your book tour (assuming you do one), are there body parts you will refuse to sign?

Rodney:  Penises and testicles. Everything else is fair game. BRING IT.

Me: But… you cover manscaping in the book… Speaking of which, Would you consider doing a video tutorial on manscaping?  If not a video, perhaps an illustrated guide?

Rodney :  Well, no. Unless the camera has a zoom lens, there probably won’t be much to see.

Ironically, my ‘Book Trailer’ would probably suffice as your video guide. I mean, it’s got everything including great cinematography, acting, and even a cliffhanger. Extra bonus, you get to see me without a shirt on. Here you go:

http://youtu.be/6NGvPtxx9gs

Me:  Ummm, Wow… That’s quite the book trailer!  Is there anything else you feel the blog reading public needs to know about you? Your book? Your blog?

Rodney:  Well, the book is FULL COLOR because – if you know my blog – I draw A LOT. So having a full color printed book (and e-book) was pretty important to me and my audience. I’ve seen the book in the initial print stage and it looks amazing. I think people will be more than pleased.

I’ve had quite a few great reviews on the book and some major endorsements by The Bloggess (Jenny Lawson) and actress/model/ex-wife of Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy. They both called the book ‘hilarious’ and – seriously – to get quotes like THAT from women like THEM about a guy like ME is HUGE. HUGE.

Me: I’m very happy that you had the opportunity to stop by and answer some questions, Rodney.  Where can we find your book?

Rodney:  There are several ways to get the book:

http://bit.ly/UIgJBw - Barnes & Noble (paper only, no Nook version available)
http://bit.ly/12o6h8N - Amazon
http://bit.ly/ZpoiVk - Kindle

 Me: Everyone should buy one… or 12…(I like to keep a few spare gifts on hand… This book? Perfect for gifting! Except if that’s your plan, make sure you get enough copies to keep one for yourself!)

So, folks… there you have it, my interview with an author! And honestly, the book made me laugh so hard it hurt (in a good way).  Go, now, get your copy of   Things Go Wrong for Me  by Rodney Lacroix!

 

P.S.  This was supposed to post early this morning but, for reasons that are still a mystery to me, it did not.  So, apparently “Things Go Wrong for Me” was an apropos subject for this particular blog post!

I’ve been spending the majority of my time working on finding a new job.  I am, however, working on a couple of other posts so hopefully in the next few days I can tighten them up and get them posted.

I have an EdenFantasys post brewing and also a recap of STRIPCon to get finished up.  I’m working on keeping some balance between having my nose to the grindstone to find a good job and getting other things that need to be done actually DONE.  The job hunting is winning out right now.

And my nightmare project right now is trying to figure out how I can make my desk something other than an ergonomic nightmare.  Now that I am spending many hours a day at my desk, I am finding it is not really set up for me to be doing that.  Of course, remembering to get up and move around is something I need to be better at, as well.

It took some serious pushing myself, but I also went out to my writer’s group tonight.  I didn’t accomplish alot but I got out of the house and that was something that I did really need to do.  I’m doing my volunteering on Thursday evening.  (Which I hope to be able to continue doing once I find a new job. It will depend on the location of the job and whether I have some flexibility with hours, though).

Back to work for me.  Have a wonderful week!

 

 

I learned a lot over the past month or two.  Most of what I learned was actually Project Management. Odd thing to learn from officiating at a wedding, I suppose, but the Project Management part is what I can use going forward, so I am grateful for having had the opportunity.  The only problem with a wedding, of course, is that you can’t sit around afterwards and talk about what worked, what didn’t work and what you can do next time to make it all better.

I think if I ever do a wedding in the future where I do not get to see the venue beforehand, I am going to make sure to ask for pictures.  That would have been really helpful in writing the ceremony and I feel like I dropped the ball with a number of things that they were expecting because I didn’t have a good feel for the logistics.

This wedding pretty much confirmed for me what I’ve felt after other weddings. No matter how much I adore the people, I do not belong at the reception.  It’s awkward and I need to just go, do the job and disappear into the shadows.  I mentioned afterwards that I was relieved that I got through the ceremony and didn’t cry, well, at least not that anyone noticed and someone piped up “Well, we weren’t paying any attention to you anyways”.  Which in many ways is good (because the officiant should absolutely NOT be the focus, that’s the Bride’s place) but the way it was said ended up with me feeling a little hurt. Again, it would have been avoided if I’d just left after the ceremony.  Absolutely no reflection on the bride and groom, who I really like, it’s just there is, it seems, no way for me to blend in as a guest.  I’ve tried before and it just never ends up working out.

I learned that as much as I sometimes think otherwise, it would be really,really unwise for me to ever get married again.  I just don’t have the ability to be selfless and put someone else first. (Which is largely responsible for my present unmarried condition).

I learned that I am not particularly interested in any travel in the future that involves plane travel. I don’t care how efficient it is, it’s a pain in the posterior.

I learned that sometimes what is said is less important than who it is that says it.

I learned that while I am generally not impressed with young people (teenagers), there are some bright and lovely young people in the world.

And just this morning I learned that no matter how much you want things to last… they just don’t.

In a couple of weeks, I will be traveling to Boston to officiate at a wedding.  I’ve officiated before so I am not too worried about that (the main trick is that I cannot make eye contact with anyone involved or I run the risk of crying. Not due to sadness, but just the overwhelming emotion that comes with something like a wedding).

I am a little worried that I am not going to have the time to really “scope out” the space where the wedding will take place ahead of time and I don’t know most of the wedding party (I know the bride and her children).  I am very nervous about plane travel, even though I have been flying since I was about 2 years old…now that I am older I am more aware of the myriad things that can go wrong and I have the time to, it seems, dwell on each of them at length.

There is preparation yet to be done. I still have no idea what I am going to wear on my feet (I cannot seem to find anything I think is appropriate in my price range).  The ceremony (the actual WORDS) need to be finalized. I need to be sure I pack everything that I need and I would like to get things a little better organized at home before I leave, too (note to self… that chinchilla cage isn’t going to clean itself!)

I also decided (for better or for worse) that I need to not be so pale so I am using lotion that says it will give me some color (but not turn me Oompa Loompa orange!)  So far, it is going pretty well, but I am being very reserved in using it and will probably still end up looking, as my housemate puts it, “translucent”.  (Which is probably better than Oompa Loompa Orange!)

If you ask me if I am a good writer, my answer will depend on my mood at the time. Some days I think I am a great writer, most days I think I am a writer wanna-be.  It doesn’t help that the feedback I’ve gotten over the years has been very polarized… I am either lauded for my superior communication skills or berated for my absolutely appallingly bad communication skills.

I’m not sure if taking a copywriting class was more of an effort to validate that I know what I am doing or an effort to make up for a lack of skill. Maybe a bit of both. But I spent two days in a copywriting class this week  and I believe it was time well spent.  I didn’t learn anything really earth-shattering but sometimes reinforcement of ideas you had or concepts that you are familiar with being expanded upon can be very motivating.

I feel that I have a much better handle now on writing things like ad copy.  Learning to identify an audience, think about their motivation and write with focus is valuable to someone with a small business and to someone who assists small (and sometimes not so small) businesses with the written materials that they used to represent their business.

I’ll admit that there is a part of me that is seeking a mentor. Someone who will see my writing and believe that I have the talent to go from ‘sufficient’ to at least ‘proficient’ and perhaps onto ‘professional’.  I don’t suspect that writing will ever be what keeps a roof over my head but considered it a compliment when I was recently told that someone believes I would be a very good technical writer.

I still (perhaps mistakenly) believe that some day I will be able to write a novel that is worth reading.  I don’t think I can get there without a mentor.  Maybe I need to start reading more books to get an idea what it is that people think is worth reading.

I struggle with how to approach someone who I respect and who I think could help me to be a better writer, especially when there is really nothing I can offer that person in return (as far as financial compensation).  But I am coming to realize that the likelihood that someone will read what I have written and want to help me to get to the next level is pretty unfathomable.  And so I use an indirect approach and then burn a  few candles, say a few prayers and hope for the best.  It hasn’t worked yet and you know what they say about doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  And yet, I still bank on insanity working in my favor at some point.

So, I consider the last two days time well spent, if only to have had the opportunity to learn technique from a REAL writer.  I hope to make the weekend time well spent, too.  I guess I can assess that on Monday morning.  Have a stellar weekend!