Name: Rhov Anion is my penname
Age: somewhere over 30
Gender: Cis-female
Orientation: Panromantic heteroqueer. I don’t care about your gender so long as you have the anatomy I am comfortable with. (AKA: “I like cock. Boy cock, girl cock, zir cock, it’s all good cock.”)
Ethnicity: All-American Mixed. Irish, Welsh, Black Dutch, Cherokee
Location: Oregon, where it always rains … always…
Horoscope: Leo and a Goat/Sheep, which totally contradict each other. Proud and a leader, yet shy and dependent. No wonder I’m messed up!

Relationships: Married, no kids, a cat.
Occupation: Social Media Director, novelist, freelance musician, I occasionally do modeling.
Language: American English, semi-fluent in Spanish, I studied Italian in college, I can sort of read French, my uncle taught me German, but I can’t speak it. I learned a little Yiddish from my in-laws. I invented 4 languages for fantasy novels.
Physique: Tallest girl among my friends, a bit overweight but I hide it well, palest kid in my multiracial family, gray-blue eyes, wavy dark hair past my knees… yes, insanely long and I love it, don’t tell me to cut it!
Personality: Intensely shy in real life, flamboyant online.

Hobbies: Hair braiding, sailing, hiking, photography, coin collecting, Renaissance Faire and pirate festivals.
Likes: Music, manga, rain, cats, mythology, Italian food, stout beer, coffee, and all-you-can-eat shrimp night.
Dislikes: Spiders, balloons, and swimming with fish. I have phobias to them. Also centipedes, cigarettes, chili, and cheap beer.
Strength: I’m a sponge; I learn things quickly. I also absorb writing styles. If I’m reading Robert Jordan, I begin to write like Robert Jordan. If I’m reading a god-awful writer, I start to write crap. Because of this, I don’t read much unless I intend to mimic a writer, like reading Stephen King books while working on a horror story.
Weakness: Electricity! I kill wristwatches in a week, my cellphone drains itself in mere hours, I tend to zap out laptops, I frequently get electrocuted badly enough to make my arm go numb, and lightning tries to strike me. It hasn’t yet, although a car I was in got hit.
Talent: I have a natural talent for learning musical instruments. I play trombone, French horn, trumpet, euphonium, tuba, alto and tenor bugle, mellophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet, tenor sax, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, recorder, harmonica, accordion, marimba, timpani, orchestral chimes, and various percussion instruments. I love trombone best.
Ineptitude: I suck at public speaking. I have agoraphobia as well as severe social anxiety, so when I have to talk in front of a group, even just a small gathering, there’s a good chance I’ll vomit or faint … hopefully not both.

Favorite Band/Artist: Pentatonix, Two Steps From Hell, Really Slow Motion, Audiomachine, Tarja Turunen, Sigur Rós, Pink Floyd, Enya, Loreena McKennett, Danny Elfman…
Favorite Types of Music: Symphonic metal, post-rock/grunge, New Age, Celtic, and Neo-Romantic music, but I often listen to jazz, classical, ambient, soundtracks (I adore Danny Elfman), hard rock, prog rock, grunge, New Wave, industrial, electronica, goth, country, classic rock-n-roll, Latin rock, Euro-metal, and K/J-pop. Really eclectic selection!
Favorite Writer: Well, J.K. Rowling was my idol as a woman writer until she became a TERF. I’m a huge fan of JRR Tolkien, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Tom Robbins, Frank Herbert, Heinlein, Jane Austin, and of course Shakespeare.
Favorite Stories: Classics: Hamlet, Persuasion, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Little Women. Modern: Shibumi, A Personal Matter, Jitterbug Perfume, Sarum, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Sci-fi: Dune, Ender’s Game, Starship Troopers, Journey to the Center of the Earth, anything by Heinlein. Fantasy: The Mists of Avalon, Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Windrose Chronicles, the Wheel of Time series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Children’s Books: Bridge to Terebithia, Harry Potter series, A Wrinkle in Time, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Kate’s Book. Graphic Novel: A History of Violence. Manga: Fairy Tail, Black Butler, Attack On Titan, Berserk, Blue Exorcist…okay, that’s the top five. So many! Webcomics: Drowtales, Questionable Content, Girl Genius, Siren’s Lament, Transfusion: top 5 in that order.

My Dream: To one day make a good living as a writer. Yeah, I know, “To dream the impossible dream,” but hey, I’m ambitious and stubborn, and I’ve got two books out there already. (Not making money, though.)
My Treasure: My 1951 Olds Super tenor trombone. It’s “my Baby.”
My Inspiration: My muse Ceridwen (or Kerry) is fed on mochas and the essence of trees. Anything too wild is her fault!
My Philosophy: Write what you know. It’s cliché, but it’s true. There are brilliant stories waiting inside of you. If you don’t personally know about something you wish to write about, seek it out. A writer cannot sit in an attic and turn out a masterpiece. Don’t be afraid to step into the noisy cantina filled with bizarre creatures. Seek the underbelly of society so you can have your readers experience it. Walk into a forest and listen to the voices of the trees if you want your reader to believe in fairies. A writer creates a world based on their own world. Be loved if your characters must experience love. Accept rejection if your character faces heartache. Suffer pain if you wish to write about the agony of the heart and flesh. Know pleasure if you want to describe a night of passion. Fast for three days if a character must experience starvation. Writers are saints. Writers are whores. Writers are demons. Writers are gods. Writers must be everything.

MY WRITING HISTORY

—— People have asked how I got into writing. This is the boring story about how I took up the pen.

Once upon a time, I couldn’t read. I don’t mean when I was 2. I mean when I was 9 years old. I have dyslexia, so the letters in words shift around. I kept hearing that it was a “learning disability.” Disable meant I wasn’t able, right? So if I’m not able to learn, why try? That was the mentality of the schools who passed me on grade after grade without a care, and it became my mentality. I insisted I didn’t need to learn how to read in order to get a job, and I’d argue with people, listing jobs I could do that didn’t require a reading skill.

However, there’s a twist to this sad and common tale. I loved inventing stories. When I was 5-8 years old, I drew pictures to remind myself of scenes, and then I’d put on plays for my family, using Barbie dolls and action figures for the characters, as I followed the drawn “script” and recited impromptu dialog in various voices for each character. Luckily, I matured away from She-Ra Versus the Evil Overlord T'Dee Baire. (Yes, my teddy bear was evil, and the Ewoks were his minions!) I drew story panels for what I hoped would be a TV dragon cartoon; it later became the basis for a novel I’m still writing.

At the age of 9, a teacher finally came along who gave a damn. He worked hard with me and instilled a drive to learn. I have a well-developed stubborn streak that gets me into trouble, but this teacher used that to push me. He told me that what I had wasn’t a “learning disability,” but a learning challenge. I could either surrender and give up, or accept the challenge and fight.

I decided to fight! Forget disabilities and crap! I was not going to be a “special student” ever again! I was going to learn how to read, dammit! I wanted to tell all those stories collecting in my head, and that meant overcoming the dyslexic letter shuffle, even if it meant slowing down, forcing myself to spell properly, and patiently waiting until I could see the words correctly. The first novel I attempted to read on my own was Little Women. It took me a whole school year, but I did it. When I read how Jo became a writer, I knew right then, that was what I wanted to do with my life.

I didn’t just overcome dyslexia. I kicked its ass! I got out of those uncaring remedial reading classes, and once I mastered the dyslexia problem, I flew through my courses. By 7th grade, I was in Honors English. When I was 11, I asked my teacher if she thought a kid could write a novel. She assured me, it had been done before, and someone with enough passion could do it. So, I began to write my first full-length novel, which would take me another seven years to complete. It sucked. Really, it did. But it was a start.

I kept writing smaller stories and poems. I published my first poem at age 11 and was featured in the anthology Best Poets of the ‘90s when I was only 13. I entered writing contests throughout middle school and high school, winning cash prizes. For one short story contest, I won a trip to the U.S. Capitol. In college, I majored in English and Music with a focus on creative writing and music theory. I was ready to make a career out of this “disability.” Take that, dyslexia! I admit, it’s still an immense daily challenge, but I won’t let those mixed-up letters stop me.

I wanted to give back, though. I pushed myself to learn how to read and write despite my “learning challenge,” but some people never had a teacher to instill that sort of drive. In high school, I volunteered as a teacher’s assistant for an English-As-A-Second-Language class for learning-impaired Hispanics, helping them not only to learn English, but to fight dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning challenges. While in college, I tutored home-schoolers, many of them with medical conditions and learning challenges, teaching them English, Spanish, history, science, music, and photography. At 19, I became the chief editor of an online newsletter. Over the years, I’ve done written content for many websites, including a politician, a music band, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Today I work as a grant proposal writer and freelance fiction writer while playing trombone in a local orchestra. I’m working toward getting my first novel published.

When I get stuck on a story, I turn to fanfiction to get those creative juices flowing. I currently have a massive case of writer’s block on my novel, so I’ve been writing a lot more fanfics lately. Lucky you!

Manga and Mahnwa I Follow/Have Read:
* 1/2 Prince - * Absolute Boyfriend - * Aiki - * Ai to Yokubou wa Gakuen de - * Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa - * Angel Sanctuary - * Ao No Exorcist - * Azumanga Daioh - * Bakuman - * Become Habituated To Kiss - * Beelzebub - * Berserk - * Black Bird - * Bleach - * Boku No Hatsukoi Wo Kimi Ni Sasagu - * Boku wa Konomama Kaeranai - * Boys Next Door - * Claymore - * Cocona - * Corsair - * Crimson Cross - * Crimson Spell - * Deadman Wonderland - * Death Note - * Dengeki Daisy - * Desire Climax - * Dog Style - * Dokuhime - * Elfen Lied - * Fairy Tail - * Faster Than A Kiss - * First Girl - * Fruits Basket - * Full Metal Alchemist - * Good Ending - * Hakushaku to Y�sei - * Haru wo Daite Ita - * Hellsing - * Hetalia: Axis Powers - * Hikaru No Go - * History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi - * Heart No Kuni No Alice - * Ikoku Irokoi Romantan - * Innocent Bird - * Inuyasha - * Junjou Mistake - * Junjou Romantica - * Kaichou Wa Maid-sama - * Kaikan Phrase - * Kawaii Akuma - * Kemono ni Koishita - * KissxSis - * Kohitsuji Project - * Koi Wo Suru DNA - * Kuroshitsuji - * Life Is Money - * Look Me in the Eyes When You Talk - * Mashima-en - * Melody Drifting in the Rain - * Memories of Emanon - * Men's Love - * Midnight Secretary - * Momoiro Junjou Danshi - * Monster Hunter Orage - * Nana To Kaoru - * Nana To Kaoru Arashi - * Naruto - * Noblesse - * Okane Ga Nai - * One Piece - * One Punch Man - * Otona no Yoru no Otogibanashi - * Otonari no Nikushokujuu - * Ouran High School Host Club - * Parasyte - * Perfect Girl Evolution - * Piano No Mori - * Ranma 1/2 - * Rave Master - * Rosario + Vampire - * Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai - * Sailor Moon - * Saint Seiya - * Sawareru Taion - * Say I Love You - * Sekaiichi Hatsukoi - * Sensei wa Ore no Mono - * Seven Days - * Sex Therapist - * Shin Angyo Onshi - * Shingeki no Kyojin - * Skip Beat - * Soul Eater - * Stardust Wink - * Sun-Ken Rock - * Sweet Poison On Our Lips - * The Bride of the Water God - * The Rose of Versailles - * The Royal Fiance - * The Tyrant Who Falls In Love - * Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriguse - * Tsurukusa No Niwa - * Vampire Knight - * Vinland Saga - * Watashi ni xx Shinasai! - * Wolf Guy: Ōkami no Monsh� - * Yankee-kun to Megane-chan - * You're My Love Prize In Viewfinder - * Zero

Webcomics I follow:
* Anathema - * Bird Boy - * Cheap Thrills - * Children of the Night - * Ctrl-Alt-Del - * Dead Winter - * Discord Comics - * DreamScar - * Dreamland Chronicles - * Dreamkeepers - * Drowtales - * Earthsong - * Emerald Winter - * Erstwhile - * Exiern - * Fey Winds - * Fifty Shades of A - * Flipside - * Girl Genius - * Guests in Purgatory - * Gunnerkrigg Court - * Healer on Feathered Wings - * Incubus Tales - * Jack - * Jesus and Mo - * Khaos Komix - * Lavender Legend - * Legend of Bill - * Looking For Group - * Love is in the Blood - * MegaTokyo - * MYth - * Nikki Sprite - * No Need For Bushido - * Oglaf - * Olympic Dames - * Otherworld - * Penny Arcade - * Peter and the Wolf - * Purpurea Noxa - * Questionable Content - * Red Moon Rising - * Red String - * Renaissance - * Rival Angels - * Roza - * Sfeer Theory - *Shades of A - * Sluggy Freelance - * Siren's Lament - * Snow By Night - * Spare Keys For Strange Doors - * The Dreamer - * The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal - * The Meek - * The Tale of Aeria - * The War of Winds - * The Way To Your Heart - * Tomb of the King 1&2 - * Transfusions - * Trying Human - * Turbo Defiant - * Twilight Lady - * TwoKinds - * Universe of Jewels - * Wayfarer's Moon - * What It Takes - * Wilde Side - * xkcd - * XTIN: The Dragon's Dreamworld - * Zap!

10 RANDOM FACTS

1) My hair is past my knees
2) I’m utterly terrified of balloons and allergic to dogs.
3) I have never cried in a movie, but I do cry listening to music.
4) I'm allergic to dogs but not cats.
5) I went to high school with a famous porn star.
6) I once had a TV role acting in my underwear. The whole nation got to see me playing John Philip Sousa on the trombone in a baby blue bra. I will never do that again!
7) I’m naturally left-handed but learned to write right-handed due to a superstitious teacher. I eat and cook left-handed still.
8) I have epilepsy and have sworn that 10% of any money I make on my novels will go to epilepsy research.
9) I have dyslexia (ABC looks like BCA), dyscalculia (123 looks like 312), and sound-color synesthesia (I “hear colors and see sounds”). My world is an interesting, mixed up place .
10) I have OCD and an obsession with round numbers. In Fanfiction.net, all of my stories’ word-counts, even individual chapters, land on either 5’s or 10’s. I’m giddy when they land on 100’s.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"Being a novelist is like exposing your bare butt in public." - Droy, Fairy Tail

"I reject your reality and substitute my own." - Adam Savage

"When life gives you lemons, make yaoi." - Tawnia

"The reason we think flowers on the precipice are beautiful, is because we are standing on the precipice as well. Do not fear, because we are like the flowers, we do not fall off." - Tite Kubo, Bleach

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." - Henry David Thoreau, Walden