Robbins, Rogene A. 1957–

PERSONAL: Born January 27, 1957, in Harper, KS; married Robert O. Robbins (a writer), October 19, 1991. Education: Marymount College, B.A., 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Cooking, music, cross-stitch embroidery.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Allworth Press, 10 E. 23rd St., Ste. 510, New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Parkview Learning Center, Macksville, KS, qualified mental retardation professional, 1990–91; Crafty Lady, Kechi, KS, co-owner and designer, 1992–93; self-employed fabric artist, Omaha, NE, 1994–.

MEMBER: Studio Art Quilt Associates.

WRITINGS:

(With husband, Robert O. Robbins) Creating a Successful Craft Business, Allworth Press (New York, NY), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A book on maintaining a frugal lifestyle; a holiday book for children.

SIDELIGHTS: Rogene A. Robbins told CA: "As a nonfiction writer, I write to inform, educate, and give my readers tools for success. My first book, Creating a Successful Craft Business, came out of what I wish someone had told me before I started selling my own craft work. I was also moved by the many sad stories I heard of people making costly mistakes or being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. Wanting to help crafts people become successful and avoid costly mistakes (many of which I had made myself) led me to write a series of brief, very focused information sheets, which I planned to make available on the Internet. It was the broader vision of my husband, Bob, that turned the project into a full-fledged book that we wrote together.

"My writing style reflects my personality as well as my upbringing on the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Bob says I write and speak with an 'Okie' accent. However, when I first started the book, I was writing in a very stilted, formal manner, thinking that is what people expect from professional writers. Comments from people reading my manuscript led me to decide to just be myself, which included telling stories of my own adventures in the craft world. The more stories I told and the funnier they were, the more my editor wanted. Perhaps I was becoming the Erma Bombeck of the craft world? That would be great! I love her writing.

"Any writing project I undertake begins with research. I draw on my education, which emphasized research and writing, to find information from books, magazine and journal articles, brochures, catalogs, interviews, and the Internet. I also listen to what people are saying and the questions they are asking, and I ask myself what I would want to find in such a book as a reader. I like to include worksheets and resource lists whenever possible to help readers incorporate the information into their own lives.

"I do not limit my writing to craft or business topics. My current projects include a book on maintaining a frugal lifestyle and a holiday book for children. I approach new projects with the same goal I had for my first book—to provide accurate, solid, easy-to-understand, and usable information for real people."