Behind The Words // RachelintheOC Thompson

I first met author and social media guru, "Rachel in the OC" Thompson early this year when she was part of a group that won the Farthest Reach Award for Book Marketing. I immediately thought, "Wow, she's really crazy. She's fun too. And has a wicked sense of humour. But, manohman, sakes alive, she sure knows how to leverage the power of the web to sell books and create buzz." 

Sure enough, Rachel in the OC has turned even more of her time and attention to doing just that: helping authors commandeer this thing called the web and using it to market themselves and build their audience.

I couldn't be more pleased to introduce her now for a look inside her world. Here we go...RachelintheOC Thompson:

So, Rachel, who the heck are ya? 

I’m known kinda everywhere as RachelintheOC (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Mars, Venus). I’m also BadRedheadMedia though – my business handle – where I tweet, facebook and blog about social media and blogging tips, and discuss book marketing, specifically Amazon. I’m also for hire as a consultant. (I joke that BadRedheadMedia is not as snarky and has better hair #bitch.)

I have two books out right now: A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed, both Amazon bestsellers – Mancode even made it into the Top 100 Paid! 

Where do you write? Do you eat? Listen to music? Talk radio? Is there a sheep grazing outside your window? 

Well, no sheep. Does a six-year-old boy count? That’d be more of a bull, though! I generally only drink coffee while I write (as I’m doing right now) if it’s morning; otherwise, just water. I take a break for food or a spoonful of Nutella (mmmm) because I think it’s wise to eat away from where I work. Not only from a safety aspect (spilling something on my beloved MacBook Air), but that my mind needs a break. As for music,YES. I recently wrote an article for In Classic Style about my favorite top 10 albums to listen to while I write. A few on the list include Poe, Fisher, Jonatha Brooke, Sia, Zero 7, and Imogen Heap. As for my writing space, I have a desk and some shelves in the corner of our master bedroom. It looks out on our pretty backyard (my guy is the gardener and has a very green thumb, which is good since I burn stuff); though many times I shut all the shades so I can really concentrate.

What are you working on these days? How is it different or similar to your last book? Barring a meteorite hitting your roof, when will it be out? 

Well, I’ve got about four projects going! 1) Book three, Broken Pieces, takes priority. It’s almost done and ready to go to my editor, Jessica Swift. This book is nonfiction essays but not humor this time. The themes are still the same as my humor collections: love, relationships, men, women – but this time I dig deep and share real-life stories of fear, abuse, and loss as well. It’s about ready to go to my editor and should be out by October. (sample provided) 2) I’m thrilled to be working on a literary erotica piece with the fabulous and award-winning author Pavarti Tyler and my editor Jessica Swift. This is a new genre for me and it’s fun to be working on it with such amazing talents. 3) I’m starting the final book in The Chronicles of Snark series: Chickspeak: Uncovered. That will be out next year. 4) I’ve started a fiction collection about a group of very different friends who must deal with all that life brings: success, defeat, loss, love – all of it. I’m really enjoying this!

Tell us about your writing style. Use a laptop? Quill and cow's blood on parchment? 

I write exclusively on my MacBook Air. It’s amazing how much my productivity has improved since switching to a Mac. That said, I carry a Moleskin with me everywhere to write down ideas and keep track of my To Do list and any notes or research. I generally write one essay every other day. I have to schedule all my time because I have multiple clients whom I help with social media and book marketing, so it’s a challenge but I do okay.

What does your fam think of you being a writer? Do they understand your process? Do you get the space you need to do the writing you crave? Do they bring you chocolate cake to keep you out of their hair? 

My guy is very supportive of my writing and keeps me stocked with coffee, vodka, and Nutella. J, my kids just want me to take them to the pool – haha! They don’t understand that it’s my job. I often write late at night to accommodate being a WAHM (work at home mom) so I can balance each. The great thing is I can write anywhere with my laptop, even out in the family room with the kids when we’re all hanging at night after dinner (that I don’t cook).

I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Mars, and Venus as well as my websites and blogs at RachelintheOC and BadRedheadMedia. My business stream @BadRedheadMedia and blog is there for free Twitter, branding, and marketing tips. My author stream and blog is for writing and highlighting amazing authors and their books. I also guest post frequently for 12Most, Business2Community.com, YaminaToday, San Francisco Book Review and InClassicStyle just featured me.

And because I’m totally insane, I’ve also started four author promo sites: @IndieBookPromos (for indies), @BkPromoCentral (for small press and traditional), @YAPromoCentral (for young adult) and @RomPromoCentral (for romance and erotica). We do free features, offer ‘free days’ and cheap reads listing, and ads are stupid cheap: just $10 to $50 per month if authors are interested in advertising on our fully optimized sites.

I have a small team of terrific women working on these sites and it’s truly a blessing how well we all work together for the common goal of exposing authors to a wider audience. I hope your readers will check us out! We are also on Facebook.

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Rachel was also gracious enough to share two samples from her latest collection, BROKEN PIECES



A LETTER TO A FORMER LOVER ABOUT FALLING

You killed yourself almost three years ago.

Atoms that occupied your space split and fell.

Your actions put those you left behind into a category: S – Shock A – Anger R – Rejection A- Acceptance, no matter where we were on that fateful autumn day.

Fall. The word has many meanings.

At lunch we spoke. At dinner, you were gone.

Grief is an interesting emotion, in that everyone handles it differently. I was so angry at you, for being so incredibly selfish. Though no longer together, for many years, I still held you in my heart.

How dare you break it again? You had no fucking right.

Selfish bastard.

I know your actions weren’t about me. I’m not that shallow. But grief makes you mourn for the person who no longer impacts your life. Maybe we’re all selfish when it comes down to it.

When you visit in my dreams, you’re always out of reach, but calm and happy. I choose to believe that while suicide was your way out, these dreams are simply a message from the universe that your atoms haven’t fallen, they’ve simply reorganized.

Yet another meaning for fall.







LIGHT

Allow me to drape my limbs over you; my secret murmurs soothing fears that keep you awake as the rays of the day fade on borrowed rest.

Grasping your hand to keep you from losing your way back to me, you meet my eyes with a rush of desire that slams me in a hard, brilliant flash.

Do you hear me? I whisper along your skin, cooled by the night air. Crossing this wide river to you, I pray you’ll reach for me as I pass by drowning in your depths.

You, my only salvation.

Will you save me?

Waiting for the sun, I barely breathe in order not to wake you, unable to turn away from the glare of what we’ve wrought.

I bathe in our entangled gleam, where love lives inside the knowledge that tomorrow fades again.

Illumination only lasts til darkness decides to fall.

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Thank you, Rachel, for sharing so much of your time and writing with us. It's been wonderful to count you as a guest here at the Reaches.