I seem to have the busiest people to have on my blog. Whew, try doing what Rose does with her life. Not only does she write books, she runs a horse farm, writes and produces a podcast, participates in a critique group, and has just started up a publishing company. Whew, makes me want to take a nap just thinking about it. I bet she even cooks the meals at her house and cleans while the food is in the oven.
Hey there Rose. Please start with a bit about where you grew up. It’s a place that I now find dear to my heart. I was enchanted to hear about you walking over the Bridgeton Bridge across the Neuse from downtown New Bern. How many stories came to your mind as you made that journey? It reminds me of the walk I made most days in the small town where I grew up. We kids were charged with walking to the Post Office/General Store to get the mail every day. We were given a dime to spend on candy. How about you?
I grew up on Half Moon Road, a dirt road in Bridgeton. It was out in the country and every Saturday we made the weekly trip to “town,” New Bern to get groceries, pay bills, that kind of thing. When I was old enough, my mom let my friends and me walk to New Bern across the Neuse River Bridge. The river in New Bern is about a mile wide so it was a beautiful stroll into a thriving downtown. My friend and I would window shop, walk around and look at new fashions, have lunch, and take in a movie over at the Masonic Theater and walk home. (As you may know, the bridge Rose is talking about no longer exists. ed)
You didn’t start out as a writer, and I don’t think you’ve given up your other endeavors. But they do all seem to have been creative in one way or another. What other artistic endeavors have you pursued? I love horses! So when I got a job at a newspaper as a marketing director, I sold ads to trade for teaching me to write. I loved every minute of it. Ken Ripley, the Editor of the Spring Hope Enterprise, not only taught me to write but also taught me graphic design and layout. I was soon publishing the first equestrian magazine in North Carolina, Carolina Hoofbeats. I moved from there to a weekly equestrian television show, showing on channel 28 in Raleigh for about years. Carolina Hoofbeats TV. This was moved to streaming networks as technology grew and is still available on Farm and Ranch TV. Then onto Equestrian Expos, an equestrian podcast Today’s Horsewoman and COVID hit. Put me out of business for the most part. So once again reinvention.
I wrote a book, Fortunate Tides. I wanted to do something different as I had only written non-fiction. I got it published, made a thousand mistakes, and realized how hard marketing your book is.
How did you come to be a writer? Were you always making up stories? Or watching people to see how they differed from each other? I took a class at the community college on magazine writing. Submitted my story to the local newspaper and the editor hired me to write a bi-weekly column. Soon I was writing features, planning special sections, doing graphic design and management.
How did you become a publisher? What kinds of books do you publish? Do you do any children’s books? It was a logical evolution to publish. I have published magazines for years. I was the President of Triangle East Writers for a year. While serving I built the group up, did a six-workshop series and raised enough support funding-wise for them to become a 501c3. Since they were in good shape, I decided it was time to pursue this dream. There has always been magic in something in print becoming a paper you can hold in your hand. So often, it is hard for people to get their work in front of a publisher or an agent. I wanted to open new doors. So, I became a traditional publishing company. Authors do not incur any fees with me. I have an extensive marketing background and assist all my authors in their marketing strategy, book tours, etc. And, yes I will look at children’s books.
Please tell us a bit about the books you have written? Their titles and themes? Their age ranges? Genres? Dates they were published? Where they are available? Cover photos, please. A little bit about how the book came to you.
Fortunate Tides was self-published in 2021. It wasn’t on the market for very long due to all my errors. I took it off the market and retooled the original story to become Chasing the Wind.
Chasing the Wind was published by Cushing Publishing this month and will be launched on October 16! I am very proud of it and excited about the launch. Available on Barnes and Noble and wherever good books are sold. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-the-wind-rose-h-cushing/1144145994?ean=9798988957546
Both books are Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Adventure with a dash of Romance.
How do you come up with your podcast episodes? Whom do you do the podcasts about? And why do you choose the particular events/people to work with? How do people learn about your service and what do they have to do to an interviewee? Please give us the link to your service.
I look for podcast guests with stories that catch my eye. I don’t want their job resumes. I want to know about them as people. Make me want to know your story, about you, etc. My podcasts are available on every major streaming network in the world, and we enjoy an audience that is world wide.
I choose events and people because I like them, I believe in what they are doing. I like to give new authors an opportunity to get their books out there in the world. I encourage people to write to me and tell me about their work, their books, themselves and see if we can setup an interview. My podcasts can be found at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976358/share Carolina Writers Speak
Speaking of Writing https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012980/share
While you do or have done all the stuff you already do, did you get around to having children of your own? I know your handsome devil helps you out a lot, but what else does he do? I believe you told me he also rides horses. Makes him a good person in my book.
In my first marriage I had a magnificent son, James Baxley who lives in Virginia. He has blessed me with 4 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren! Rodney, my husband, is a Maintenance Manager at AAF Flanders in Smithfield. In a previous marriage he had 4 children and 7 grandchildren! I am very proud that Rodney enjoys doing most of the things that I do so it’s fun to do together. He does ride horses, we raise them as well.
What else do you two get involved in?
We also garden and love to camp and cook! Rodney is a technology buff.
Be sure to stop by Rose’s table on October 29th where Rose will be selling her books, in addition to talking about her podcast service and her publishing company. But sadly, she won’t have any of her horses there. Maybe some pictures for us to ooh and ahh over. Sarah
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