WRITER THINGS:
How long have you been writing, and what are your preferred genres and settings?
I’ve been writing since I was 10, but professionally since 2002. I love speculative fiction. I tend toward fantasy with elements of humor. Sometimes that humor is dark, but I love cross genre and space opera as well. I started in short stories, but I’ve also done novels and collaborative pieces.
Who or what originally inspired you to try your hand at writing?
I was an imaginative kid who loved to read and make up my own stories. I read a lot as a kid. I still identify with Jo in “Little Women”, even though I’m an only child. But I also loved the mysteries like Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. Then I discovered Star Trek – the show and the books.
What lengths of stories do you prefer, i.e. short stories/flash fiction/novels? What formats do you like to release your work in, i.e. e-book, paperback, audiobook?
I let the story dictate the length. If I do short stories, they tend to be very short. Flash fiction to 3k-5k. My novels are on the shorter side as well in the 60K range. I love a tight story. As for format, for novels I need paper. I love physical books. Short stories are mostly electronic. But I have everything in electronic form because no matter how I like them, I want them available in the ways others want to consume them. Haven’t quite ventured into audiobook yet.
What’s your publishing method – trad or self – and are there any companies, agencies, or platforms you really like working with? Are there any that you absolutely will not work with?
I’m a small press girl. I love working with Yard Dog Press. They’re small and weird, but they pay royalties on time every time. They’re also great to work with and transparent with what they can/can’t do. I like that in anyone I work with. And I’ll give folks the benefit of the doubt. But ones that charge the writer for anything — that’s a hard pass.
What does your writing environment look like? Are there specific or unique features to your drafting and writing process that you feel are interesting?
My writing environment is almost anywhere I am. I’ve written at a desk, in my easy chair in the living room, in a lunch room, in a hotel. It’s wherever I’m comfortable. I am the Queen of the Pantsers – I have no real set routines (which is probably bad).
I play music or TV I’m familiar with so it’s just background noise, so it’s all “comfort noise”, if that makes sense.
I am also a Pen Dragon. I have a hoard of writing instruments and office supplies. I do like a new writing instrument and clean page – because my zero drafts are 90% long hand. I love the feel of pen on paper – any pen and any paper.
What are your thoughts on pen names?
I have no problem with pen names. I technically have one. I started publishing before I got married so I kept that name. It helps me separate my Day Job life from my Writing Life. But there are many reasons for someone to have a pen name – changing genres, revamping a career, even safety. It’s a personal and professional decision that has a lot of variables.
MEATY THINGS
What social issues, if any, do you feel like you address the most in your work?
I brought up censorship in one project, and I have explored death. But I mostly just tell stories without big messages.
Are there any marginalized populations represented in your work, and how do you relate to those populations?
I’m working on expanding my story casts. Though in many of my shorter pieces there aren’t descriptions so readers can imagine the characters the way they want to.
When I do use populations other than my own, I hope to relate to them as individuals and with the utmost respect to an experience I haven’t lived.
What kind of material or social impact would you like your work to have? What would you like your literary legacy to be?
I just want folks to enjoy the story. I want to take them out of whatever reality they’re dealing with and give them a different experience. I want them to be entertained.
How do you think fiction that takes place in future contexts influences or describes either the present or how we collectively might turn out in the future?
Oh, future fiction gives us a fantastic way to ask “what if?” We can look at the future and see what we want it to be. Or it can be a warning. Or both. It can also be a good mirror to what is happening now. I know some cultures can use futuristic fiction to criticize governments in ways that are safer than present day literature. There’s a lot you can do to shine light on the NOW by putting it in the future.
What kind of social critique of the present or the past do you think attracts people to write historical fiction?
I haven’t written historical fiction, but if I did, I think I would look at is as a way to examine how we got to where we are now. Or use it as a way to play with social norms and see how things might have been. There’s a lot of romanticism of history.
PROMOTIONAL THINGS
Rhonda can be found on Instagram and X, but she’s mostly active on Facebook. Keep track of her work on her website, rhondaeudaly.com, and check Amazon regularly for her new releases.
Bibliography:
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Tarbox Station
Vagabond
The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse
The Four Redheads: Apocalypse NOW
The Four Redheads: Redheads in Love
The Four Redheads: Wrath of Satan
When the Party’s Over
The Astronaut Stole My Sharpie and Other Stories