Pump Up Your Book Chats with Humor Columnist Rose A. Valenta

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Rose A. Valenta is a nationally syndicated humor columnist. Her irreverent columns have been published in Senior Wire, Associated Content, Courier Post Online, NPR, Newsday, USA TODAY, the WSJ Online, and many other local news and radio websites.

She is the author of Rosie’s Renegade Humor Blog. This is the blog for people who would be knowledgeable about current events and politics if only politicians and news anchors didn’t stretch the truth. “What else is there to do, but share an honest laugh?” Rose said.

Rose regularly attends the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, is a member of the Robert Benchley Society and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC).

Rose lived in Philadelphia for over 40 years, where she honed her humor writing skills by being married to a Philadelphia Policeman and giving birth to three children. “Times have changed. Now that we have 10 grandchildren, I’m not sure how I feel about children being exposed to the evening news. Humorous things happen, like the time my grandson asked us to come outside to see his version of ‘Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman’ right after Snowmageddon.”

Rose worked for a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill, Datapro Information Services, for 12 years as a technical staff writer, and also wrote freelance articles for other computer industry publications.

She claims that her Italian heritage stunted her growth. She is English on her Father’s side and believes that in a past life, during medieval times, she was probably a trusted member of the Counsel of the Jesters.

Her latest book is Sitting on Cold Porcelain which you can find out more about at her website at www.rosevalenta.com.

On Sitting on Cold Porcelain

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

It was a long time in the planning stage. I love to make people laugh and have been writing my blog, Rosie’s Renegade Humor Blog – http://www.rosevalenta.com, since 2008. It is satirical, similar to my book. I enjoy taking pot-shots at politicians current events, and the media. At work, I used to spoof the job, the boss, corporate policy and would write essays about them. Friends and co-workers enjoyed my satire and asked me why I didn’t write a humor book. It was time for Sitting on Cold Porcelain.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

I have such a terrific support network that the tough part was the Acknowledgements Section. I was afraid I would leave out someone important.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

“Illegitimi non carborundum” No matter what happens, you can and should always have a good laugh.

On Books in General

Q: What was one of your favorite books as a child?

I read a lot of books growing up, but favored Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Q: What is your favorite book as an adult?

I hate to admit this, the Harry Potter series. I think J.K. Rowling took our young people to a whole new reading level with her books and I admire that. I love the storyline and each of my grandchildren have a set of Harry Potter books.

Q: What are you reading now?

Right now, I have an advance uncorrected proof of Raul Ramos y Sanchez’ novel House Divided. I am enjoying the read and will do a review on my blog and at Goodreads. Without giving away the plot, I can tell you it’s a five-star suspense novel.

On Writing

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I think it was way back in the 1970s when my children were growing up in Philadelphia. At the time, I enjoyed reading Erma Bombeck, Alan King, and Art Buchwald. The urge to write humor was strong, but unless you were already well-known with a following, the salary was minimal. I went to work for a publisher finally, but as a technical staff writer. I’ve been doing that for 25 years. My passion is humor writing and going forward, I’m making up for lost time.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I spent about 12 years at a McGraw-Hill company writing for a subscription service, but it was technical writing, which is much different than creative writing. After that, I worked for the Department of Defense and regulated companies doing documentation as a technical writer/consultant.

I enjoy the creative writing, so I write humor columns and submit them to Senior Wire and Associated Content for syndication. Many of my columns have been picked up by major publications such as NPR, Newsday, USA TODAY, The Courier Post, the Wall Street Journal online and many others.

My blog is also popular, ranking #2 in the “Top 50 Blogs in Philadelphia” on Facebook. It is in Facebook’s Networked Blogs.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Yes, if you love writing keep doing it every day. Blogs are easy to start and you can share your stories and ideas there, until you feel you are ready to put a book or magazine together. The key is to write on a daily basis, even if it is just in your journal.

On Family and Home:

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I am married to a great guy, who is a former Marine and retired Philadelphia Police Officer. He encourages me all the time, laughs at my essays, and offers topics for consideration on my blog. We have three grown children and 10 grandchildren. The oldest grandchild is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania on a Track scholarship. He wants to out-sprint Usain Bolt.

We live in a townhouse just outside of Philadelphia and have a small cottage in Chincoteague, VA. Our family lives close by in PA and NJ.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I love my laptop, as I can take it into any quiet room in the house. Most of the time, I’m at the kitchen table, but in nice weather, I’m out on the back deck plugging away.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I find it relaxing to watch the food network and cook. I never mastered the art of baking cakes and pies, but I do like to concoct meat and seafood dishes with different sauces and gravies. My herb garden is right outside the kitchen door.

On Book Promotion:

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I signed up with my publisher for a press release package. Then, I did a book signing at the Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia. Finally, I got smart and signed up with Pump Up Your Book and have been getting many requests for reviews and interviews.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I am always on Facebook and Twitter promoting my book. I spend hours every day online. My book has a fan page on Facebook too – http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sitting-on-Cold-Porcelain/126455680706742

I belong to three humor writers’ newsgroups and have a network of friends from the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

Everything in the publishing industry has changed. The print media is becoming extinct, so the trend is virtual publishing and book promoting.

On Book Publishing

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

Writing is the easy task, marketing is not. It is tough marketing a book. I self-published, so I have to do that with lots of help from my friends and family.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

When people e-mail me and say how much they liked a particular essay.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

I’m noticing that more people are buying Kindles and Nooks, so I’ve made my book available to that market as well.

On Other Fun Stuff:

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

I’d wish for a magic pendant that grants unlimited wishes when rubbed, while uttering a secret phrase. One wish is never enough and wouldn’t that be fantastic?

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I’d like to be on a shopping-spree at Harrods in London.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

Award-Winning Book Publicity Company Since 2007

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR, BLOG TOUR & BOOK PUBLICITY ENDORSEMENTS: NICE THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PUMP UP YOUR BOOK

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"THANK YOU for all of these graphics!!! That was a valuable added perk of working with you on the VBT! Thank you for all the work you put into those, and into the organization and follow-ups on the tour itself. It's been a pleasure working with you, Dorothy!"Allyson Rice, The Key to Circus-Mom Highway

"Oh, awesome!! Thank you so much! You ran such a lovely tour. Those images are great, I look forward to using them and will miss seeing the regular postings on Twitter ;-).
I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

"Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you again for the amazing blog tour and to tell you that we will be adding the tour to Mark's author website in the next few days. We will of course be recommending your company to other authors we know. And when Mark's next book is out, we will use your services again." Kirsten Grenside on behalf of Mark Grenside, FALL OUT

"Thank you for all the great, creative, work you have done on behalf of my book. You are
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Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

"Everyone did an excellent job. The blog pages were beautiful, and the trailer was so clever and funny. Thanks for sending these lovely "souvenirs" from my tour. I will be able to use all of these posts on Twitter. I enjoyed this so much and look forward to my next tour!"
Irene Woodbury, HONEYMOON ROULETTE

" I am delighted with the results of my recent tour with Pump Up Your Book. Dorothy is meticulous and professional, presents beautifully laid out pages, maintains constant contact with the client, and gives more than expected value for money. In a nutshell: you get what you pay for and more on top! I will certainly be using Dorothy’s services for my other Regency romance books.”
Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

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Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

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M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

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Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

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Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

"Thank you for an Amazing Virtual Book Tour for Son of a Soldier! I really appreciate all the work you put into it!"
Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

"Thanks so much for getting ANNA INCOGNITO out there and reviewed and shared with so many people. It was great to see it on so many twitter feeds!"
Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

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Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

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Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

"This has been one of the best things I’ve done as an author. Not only am I getting the word out about my books but I’m learning about my own work and my readers along the way. I love it!"
Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

"Just wanted to thank you for the book tour. :) You did a great job. :)"
Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful virtual tour in August for Brimstone and Water. I was very happy with the amount of attention given to the book and to me. I am mentioning it to friends on line that haven't gone to the site yet to be sure and take a look. Thanks for all your work."
Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

"Thank you for running my book promotion for BlackJack. I am so pleased with the reviews that came in and appreciated all you did. My sales have improved from being around 800,000 down to the 200,000 on Amazon and hopefully dropping still. I will definitely be contacting you for a promotion again."
Christine Donovan, BLACKJACK

"You’ve been a joy to work with, and I’d do another tour with you in a heartbeat. Overall, it was an excellent experience and a good value. I’ll be sure to look you up when it’s time to release my next book."
Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

"Thank you for a great blog tour for my “Depression and Your Child.”
I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

"Thanks for a very good experience with Pump Up Your Book. Fighter Pilot's Daughter has sold out of the first printing (still available as POD on Rowman & Littlefield's site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). My editor at R & L says there's a very good chance the book will come out in paperback in the summer. He asked me "Did you hire a publicist or something?" I told him about you, and he was impressed."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

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Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

"Just wanted to say I'm appreciating your tweets so much. This is really helping my book sales, and I'm telling writer friends about you."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"Thank you SO much!!!! I had a blast on the tour and appreciate all the time the bloggers and reviewers spent promoting Ash to Steele:)"
Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

"When it comes to looking for a virtual book tour coordinator, Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Tours is simply the best. I have tried several virtual book tour coordinators and have even set up a book tour on my own, but none of them were as successful as my tours with Pump Up Your Book Tour, which has the combination of expertise and experience needed to get the author the results they need. On this latest tour, TWELVE TO MURDER made it up to number three on Amazon! Thank you, Dorothy!"
Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

"Thank you again for all of your help and support for my recent book tour. You were so supportive and responsive, and I enjoyed working with you. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed it, especially when my book hit the top 100 in the two subcategories! That was awesome! Thanks for "pumping up my book!""
Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

"Thank you for another amazing tour, Dorothy!! I loved the sites I had an opportunity to visit and the people I met along the way. I even made a few new friends and found wonderful supporters that I'll never forget - I promise! The exposure you gave my book was absolutely unbelievable, and I can't think of a better way to welcome and expose an author's new creation to the literary world. Happy New Year to all your readers and may your success continue to grow. "
Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"I just wanted to let you know how wonderful I felt my book blast went for Be Careful What You Wish For in the month of August. So many emails and contacts that I would never have gotten. The publicity was just phenomenal!"
--R.K. Avery, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

"Just wanted to touch base with you and extend a huge thank you for the wonderful and successful book blast you arranged for Love Vindicated for me. I was very happy with your services and will be passing your name and brand along to some writer friends with a stellar recommendation. Again thanks and I look forward to working with you again in the future."
--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

"Thank you so much for all your hard work in putting together the virtual book tour for The Sixth Power. I appreciate it so much."
--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

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--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

"Wow - you are absolutely fantastic. Can't believe how lucky I was to find you :)"
--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
-- Lou Aronica, STORY PLANT

"Blog tours have been the most effective promotion I’ve done. Dorothy Thompson and her company Pump Up Your Book are the greatest. I’ve spent money with other promotion companies that advertised packages then didn’t deliver the service they advertised, inflated their audience and reach and point blank falsely represented themselves. Dorothy has been a Godsend, and by far, her services are the best promotional endeavors I’ve invested in thus far."
-- Alicia Singleton, DARK SIDE OF VALOR

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-- Suzanne Jenkins, PAM OF BABYLON SERIES

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---Deborah Woehr, PROSPERITY: A GHOST STORY

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--Kathy Holmes Eckardt, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

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–Vincent Zandri, MOONLIGHT FALLS and THE REMAINS

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“This has been a wonderful experience. Dorothy Thompson and her whole team are very committed to each author, take each author’s tour very seriously, and work towards maximum exposure in the right places. This is the best book promotion expenditure I’ve made in terms of return on investment. I highly recommend Pump Up Your Book Promotion.”
--Phyllis Zimbler Miller, MRS: LIEUTENANT

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--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach