Conversations with Roxanne Rhoads

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roxanne Rhoads. 

Hi Roxanne, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am an author, book publicist, mixed media crafter, and lover of all things spooky. I’m also a wife, mother of three children and four furbabies, and grandma to one little cutie who was born in June 2022. 

My books include Haunted Flint, Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties, and Pumpkins and Party Themes: 50 DIY Designs to Bring Your Halloween Extravaganza to Life. 

I am the owner of Bewitching Book Tours; a virtual book tour and social media marketing company and I operate a Halloween blog- A Bewitching Guide to Halloween. I sells magickal handcrafted items and bewitching vintage treasures in my Etsy store The Bewitching Cauldron. 

Books play a huge roll in my life; I am a lover of words. When not reading or writing, I love to craft, plan Halloween adventures, and search for unique vintage finds. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My path has never been smooth. My father died of leukemia when I was four which left my mom working 2 and 3 jobs for most of my childhood. My grandma lived with us and cared for me while my mom worked. We might not have had the best or most expensive stuff but mom made sure we never went without. Part of that was due to creativity. I think our family motto was “why pay someone else to do something you can do yourself?” 

Over the years I learned how to do almost everything myself from doing my own nails to coloring my hair and it didn’t stop with beauty. I can strip furniture, and completely redo it including sand, stain, paint, etc. Every single room in my house has been remodeled at least once and we’ve done it all ourselves -other than the real technical stuff like electrical and plumbing, thank goodness we have friends that can do those things. 

I was born into a family of makers, of people who use creative thinking to solve problems and create beautiful things. My grandma wrote poetry and songs, sewed, and make pretty home décor. My dad was a handyman and avid DIY’er. Many things around our home were built by him and my mom. My mom could draw, sew, make jewelry, and crochet. She was also very handy with the power tools and after my dad passed away, she did repairs and made things around the house. 

It was apparent from the beginning I had a creative soul. I often joke that I was born with a pen in one hand a notebook in the other because I have always been a writer. I’m also an artist and avid DIY’er. One of my hobbies is rehabbing old furniture I find on the side of the road. 

I grew up on the outskirts of Flint surrounded by woods and farmland. An only child to an only child, books became my best friends. To keep myself entertained I read, created art, wrote plays that I made my stuffed animals act out, and created stories in my head. I fell in love with poetry when I was 11 and two of my poems were published in a local magazine when I was 12. After that, I was hooked on seeing my name in print. 

Throughout my school years, I always wrote for the school paper and participated in young author programs. I won numerous essay contests. In high school, I wrote for the teen section, Word Up, of the local paper, The Flint Journal. I briefly wrote for my college paper and submitted countless poems to journals and magazines. Some were published, but writing didn’t pay the bills. 

And then life happened. Kids, marriage, working multiple jobs to make ends meet… but by 2004 I was ready to write again. I spent years freelancing, creating web content, and submitting articles to magazines. I started writing fiction in 2005 and did that for years. I also started reviewing books and created a book blog. 

In 2010 I started my own business, Bewitching Book Tours. An online book promotion company that created virtual book tours for authors. At one time Bewitching also had a magazine and podcast. Now I do a ton of social media promotion. We offer authors an affordable way to get their book in front of readers. I continued to write while operating my business. My unique perspective as both an author and book reviewer helped make my business a success. 

In 2018 I was collecting local ghost stories and weird tales for my paranormal romance/urban fantasy series set in Flint when my friend Davonna, suggested I take all those ghost stories and create a book. I thought, “Wow! What a great idea.” I put out a call on social media that I was seeking Flint ghost stories and I met up with Joe Schipani who had also been researching weird Flint tales. We joined forces and Haunted Flint was born. 

Right after I turned in the completed draft of Haunted Flint, I started having vision problems. On March 15, 2019, I was given the devastating news that I had ocular melanoma in my left eye, an extremely rare form of cancer. 

So in between promoting Haunted Flint and attending events, I was secretly getting surgeries and treatment in Grand Rapids, Michigan, about two hours from my home in Flint. The cancer is so rare only two doctors in Michigan treat it. I only told my closest friends and family what was going on. 

Haunted Flint became an Amazon #1 New Release in 5 categories in both print and eBook formats and was a #1 Amazon bestseller twice. 

The treatments worked great, and I was given the all-clear, cancer free in December 2020. 

Then my mom passed away suddenly in February 2021. The grief sent me on a downward spiral. 

Joe and I were working on a new book but thanks to the pandemic is was going slow, all the historical societies were closed, the local library was closed, we couldn’t meet face-to-face with people or visit locations. 

For months I could barely concentrate on writing, my grief was an ocean I couldn’t cross. 

In October 2021 I was told the cancer was back. I had exhausted other options and needed to go in for radiation. The downfall to the radiation, and the reason I tried all the other options first, is that it will likely leave me blind in that eye within 3-5 years. That’s devastating for anyone, but for an author and artist… 

I finally told everyone what was going on before going in for the treatment. In the first week of December 2021, I had a radiation disk placed in my eye for 5 days. My best friend stayed with my son while my husband and I spent the week in Grand Rapids. When I came home, I couldn’t see very well for a couple of weeks. 

Once I could actually see again, I got back to work, met up with Joe to gather more material, and completed Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties, which released on August 29, 2022. It became an Amazon #1 new release in two categories and was in the Top Ten of Amazon bestsellers in the category Ghosts and Hauntings. 

I’m working on becoming as healthy as possible so the cancer doesn’t come back. I have a husband, three beautiful children, and a grandchild, that I want to be here for, for many years to come. 

And I’m continuing to write and run my business. When I do go, I want to leave a legacy behind that my family can be proud of. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write in multiple styles and genres. Poetry was my first love but creative non-fiction is my thing. I have also dabbled in fiction. 

Over the years I’ve worked in multiple facets of the publishing industry – author, editor, book reviewer, publicist…I think this is why my business Bewitching Book Tours is successful. My goal is to provide a service that authors can afford while running it in a streamlined fashion that both authors and readers can appreciate. 

I also love to paint, rehab furniture, and make crafts like beaded bookmarks and keychains. I sell some of my creations in my Etsy store The Bewitching Cauldron. 

Lately, I’ve been creating digital art. I love learning new skills. 

What matters most to you?
My top priority is my family and my loved ones who may not be family by blood but they are family in my heart. 

Pricing:

• Haunted Flint $21.99
• Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties $21.99
• Pumpkins and Party Themes: 50 DIY Designs to Bring Your Halloween Extravaganza to Life $14.99
• Bewitching Book Tours range in price from $45 to $145

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abewitchingguidetohalloween.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxannerhoads/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoxanneRhoadsAuthor/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoxanneRhoads
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@roxannerhoads76

Image Credits
Roxanne Roxanne
Glenn Brown
TriDragon Photography
Robert Napolitano
Arcadia Publishing