Rose A. Valenta is a nationally syndicated humor columnist from Philadelphia, PA. Her irreverent columns have been published in Senior Wire, Associated Content, Courier Post Online, NPR, Newsday, USA TODAY, the WSJ Online, and many other local news and radio websites.

She is the author of Rosie’s Renegade Humor Blog- http://www.rosevalenta.com and the new humor book Sitting on Cold Porcelain.

Rose regularly attends the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton; and is a member of the Robert Benchley Society and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC).

Q: It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a day job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life? Have they influenced/inspired your writing?

A: I also write at my day job. I worked for a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill in the 1980s and 90s as a technical staff writer. After that, I went into technical writing and consulting for regulated companies. However, creative writing has always been my passion and I plan to write more humor books.

Q: What compelled you to write your first book?

A: Everyone, who read my work, suggested that I write a book. Not only that, but I can usually see the humorous side of things. Sometimes I haven’t got a serious bone in my body. I guess I was ready to make the time to write Sitting on Cold Porcelain.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

A: Yes, I remember sitting on a school bus in elementary school when I first got the idea to become a writer. At that time, my grandmother was about ready to retire from her job as a baker at the Olean House in Olean, NY. I was her youngest grandchild and she tried her darnedest to show me how to bake cakes and pies, but it was hopeless. She spent hours at a time in her kitchen giving me pointers, but instead of blue ribbons, my cupcakes qualified as hockey pucks.

Later, I played the trumpet in the high school band. My cousin, Patrick, and I almost got arrested for jamming in Seaside Heights, NJ, after 10:00 PM. I used to impersonate Louis Armstrong. The neighbors didn’t see the humor. I think the self-deprecating humor came naturally.

When I grew up, got married, and had children; I found myself enjoying writers like Erma Bombeck, Alan King, and Art Buchwald. While reading some of their humorous essays, I kept telling myself I could write like that. In fact, based on mine and my husband’s home repair fiascos, I could write non-stop for about 10 years on “don’t” lists. I still can’t use a mitre box and get a 45 degree angle.

I guess you can tell that Mel Brooks produced some of my favorite movies.

Q: Tell us briefly about your book.

A: My book is a compilation of satirical essays. It is based on Murphy’s Law and spoofs family life, current events, the media, public figures, sports, and politics.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: My autobiography, Sitting on Cold Porcelain II.

Q: What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write? Do you need the noise or the silence?

A: I like just a little background noise. Sometimes I listen to classical music or jazz; or I put the History channel on low volume in the kitchen. If my husband is watching football in the living room, I wait for a touch-down or field goal before writing a punch line; then, I have my own cheering section.

Q: How do you balance out the writer’s life and the rest of life? Do you get up early? Stay up late? Ignore friends and family for certain periods of time?

A: I get up early to work at my day job, and then I stay up late on my laptop. I used to ignore friends and family for weeks at a time, but with social networking, I find myself running ideas past them on Facebook, Twitter, and in e-mail.

Q: When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

A: I read everything, except Sci-Fi. I was partial to reading Nancy Drew Mysteries, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens.

Q: What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

A: I still love reading humor and enjoy authors like Dave Barry, Gordon Kirkland, and W. Bruce Cameron. Lately, I have been looking up blogs written by other humor writers from the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop (www.humorwriters.org). They are hilarious. I like them all. Mo Rocca came to our last workshop and interviewed my friend, Tracy Beckerman, for a CBS Sunday Morning Mother’s Day special. She writes a blog called Lost in Suburbia.

Q: Where you have lived and what you have experienced can influence your writing in many ways. Are there any specific locations or experiences that have popped up in your books?

A: My first name fits, as I have been a gypsy most of my life. My parents and I lived in parts of Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Olean, NY, is where my grandmother lived. I spent many summers there and it pops up in my stories. However, my husband and I spent years in Philadelphia and I am partial to the City of Brotherly Love. He is a former Marine and was a Philadelphia Police Officer for 17 years; we raised our three children there – a book in itself.

Q: Is there anyone who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

A: My husband gets first dibs at giving me feedback on my writing. If I can get a belly laugh out of him, I field it out to my Sister, Tarmie, and then some of my Facebook buddies and newsgroup friends.

Q: Is there any particular book that, when you read it, you thought, “I wish I had written that!”?

A: Yes, A Christmas Story. I love reading about Jean Shepherd’s life in Indiana.

Q: Is there anything you’d go back and do differently now that you have been published, in regards to your writing career?

A: I would have published my first book 20 years ago.

Q: Have you ever had a character take over a story and move it in a different direction than you had originally intended? How did you handle it?

A: My Uncle Harry crops up in some of my work. He is very political and opinionated, a composite character based on one of my husband’s real Uncles, who was a chef in a French restaurant. We used to have dinner with him every Friday night and play pinochle. He always dominated our conversations with humorous stories and politics. Somehow, both of those topics blend well. I give him a free hand and go with the flow. I plan to give him more space in Sitting on Cold Porcelain II.

Q: Do you have any book signings, tours or special events planned to promote your book that readers might be interested in attending? If so, when and where?

A: My virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book will last until February 25, 2011. Please Google my name at any given time to see where I am or you can log on to the website: http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

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Sitting on Cold Porcelain is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble online, Better World Books, and the order desk of your local book store. Electronically, you can order it for your Kindle, Nook, and other eBook readers. Rosie Renegade Humor Blog is located at http://www.rosevalenta.com. You can also get the blog at the Kindle Store.