Bio
Ronica Black was born in North Carolina in
1976 in a small town outside of Hickory. When she
was six she moved with her mother, younger sister
and step father to Phoenix, Arizona where she has
resided for the past twenty five years. With most of
her family still in North Carolina, Ronica visited
frequently growing up and will always consider it
her first home.
"Growing up it was the best of both worlds. I
got the small town Southern feel of rural North
Carolina in the summers and the big city desert
feel of Phoenix the rest of the year."
Therefore she knows how to make a mean
banana pudding and a mean batch of sour cream
chicken enchiladas.
But her love of cooking is easily surpassed by
her love of the written word. A voracious reader,
Ronica often times has three books going at once
on her nightstand.
"Each day I want something different. So I
choose from my small pile, read a little and then
tomorrow I'll be in the mood for the book under
that one. They all get read eventually."
Often times the same happens with her
writing. She'll have three stories going at once.
"Ideas hit me in the middle of the night, while
I'm driving. You name it. So I write them down and
start developing. But then tomorrow it's back to the
other two I already had going. I don't box myself in.
I do what feels right and go with it."
"If there's one thing that I've learned it's that
there is no wrong way to write. You find your
groove and go with it. For me the hardest part was
forcing my mind to work through that wall or filter.
The one that sensors your feelings and thoughts
and leaves you staring endlessly at a blank page. I
just had to sit down and write. I wrote whatever
came to mind. Everyday. If I was stuck searching
for a word, I used a simpler one. I did whatever I
could to keep going. And for me it worked. I trained
my brain to slip into gear and drive. I don't have
any prior training or experience. I'm not even a
college graduate. So I feel like if I can do it,
anyone can."
1976 in a small town outside of Hickory. When she
was six she moved with her mother, younger sister
and step father to Phoenix, Arizona where she has
resided for the past twenty five years. With most of
her family still in North Carolina, Ronica visited
frequently growing up and will always consider it
her first home.
"Growing up it was the best of both worlds. I
got the small town Southern feel of rural North
Carolina in the summers and the big city desert
feel of Phoenix the rest of the year."
Therefore she knows how to make a mean
banana pudding and a mean batch of sour cream
chicken enchiladas.
But her love of cooking is easily surpassed by
her love of the written word. A voracious reader,
Ronica often times has three books going at once
on her nightstand.
"Each day I want something different. So I
choose from my small pile, read a little and then
tomorrow I'll be in the mood for the book under
that one. They all get read eventually."
Often times the same happens with her
writing. She'll have three stories going at once.
"Ideas hit me in the middle of the night, while
I'm driving. You name it. So I write them down and
start developing. But then tomorrow it's back to the
other two I already had going. I don't box myself in.
I do what feels right and go with it."
"If there's one thing that I've learned it's that
there is no wrong way to write. You find your
groove and go with it. For me the hardest part was
forcing my mind to work through that wall or filter.
The one that sensors your feelings and thoughts
and leaves you staring endlessly at a blank page. I
just had to sit down and write. I wrote whatever
came to mind. Everyday. If I was stuck searching
for a word, I used a simpler one. I did whatever I
could to keep going. And for me it worked. I trained
my brain to slip into gear and drive. I don't have
any prior training or experience. I'm not even a
college graduate. So I feel like if I can do it,
anyone can."
About Ronica
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Ronica first started writing in 1999 when she
tried her hand at a murder mystery. About thirty
pages in she realized she needed to start smaller. So
in 2000 she wrote her first short story and more soon
followed. And in 2004 she tried again at a longer
piece entitled In Too Deep, which was later published
in 2005 by Bold Strokes Books.
"I've been very lucky. Len Barot, president of
Bold Strokes Books, took a chance on me. She told
me she wanted the book but that it needed a lot of
work. She stressed 'a lot of'. I took her up on her
offer and embarked on a long educational editorial
journey. One that still hasn't come to an end. I've
been taught so much and am so very grateful. I've
also met some amazing people along the way."
Today Ronica spends her days writing,
developing new ideas, and polishing up soon to be
published works.
"I have so much I want to do and I know you're
only as good as your last book. It's a never ending
process, a never ending cycle. You type the words
THE END and then the next day you start digging
through those old ideas for the next book."
What does she do between writing?
"I laugh at my Parson Russell Terrier. She's
crazy and relentlessly happy. I try to spend a lot of
time with my nieces and nephews. They are growing
up so fast. I read, I'm a netflix addict, and I draw and
paint. I people watch and wonder who they are and
what they've done. What advice they would give if
asked thus far in their lives. If I've learned one thing
this past year it's that people have different
definitions of love. In a way that is completely chaotic
especially in a relationship where two people expect
two different things. But in another way it's
fascinating. It's just one more mystery in that great
big novel we call life."
What's on Ronica's nightstand today? Drowning
Ruth by Christina Schwartz, The Darkest
Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz, and
Monster by Jonathan Kellerman.
tried her hand at a murder mystery. About thirty
pages in she realized she needed to start smaller. So
in 2000 she wrote her first short story and more soon
followed. And in 2004 she tried again at a longer
piece entitled In Too Deep, which was later published
in 2005 by Bold Strokes Books.
"I've been very lucky. Len Barot, president of
Bold Strokes Books, took a chance on me. She told
me she wanted the book but that it needed a lot of
work. She stressed 'a lot of'. I took her up on her
offer and embarked on a long educational editorial
journey. One that still hasn't come to an end. I've
been taught so much and am so very grateful. I've
also met some amazing people along the way."
Today Ronica spends her days writing,
developing new ideas, and polishing up soon to be
published works.
"I have so much I want to do and I know you're
only as good as your last book. It's a never ending
process, a never ending cycle. You type the words
THE END and then the next day you start digging
through those old ideas for the next book."
What does she do between writing?
"I laugh at my Parson Russell Terrier. She's
crazy and relentlessly happy. I try to spend a lot of
time with my nieces and nephews. They are growing
up so fast. I read, I'm a netflix addict, and I draw and
paint. I people watch and wonder who they are and
what they've done. What advice they would give if
asked thus far in their lives. If I've learned one thing
this past year it's that people have different
definitions of love. In a way that is completely chaotic
especially in a relationship where two people expect
two different things. But in another way it's
fascinating. It's just one more mystery in that great
big novel we call life."
What's on Ronica's nightstand today? Drowning
Ruth by Christina Schwartz, The Darkest
Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz, and
Monster by Jonathan Kellerman.