Last week I had the pleasure of hearing Ronda Rice Carman speak at Tobi Fairley’s “Journey to Getting Published.” Ronda has written her first book, Designers at Home: Personal Reflections of Stylish Living. The book is absolutely gorgeous. The first thing I love is that the book is smaller than a standard coffee table book. The smaller size makes it so much easier to hold and study its rich content. And when I say rich, that is an understatement. Ronda features the homes of 50 top designers, including greats like Charlotte Moss, Barry Dixon and Bunny Williams. There are beautiful photos of each designer’s home and each designer’s thoughts on beautiful entrances, flowers and fragrances, a beautiful bed, creature comforts and entertaining thoughts. You can look at this book over and over and never get bored. Rarely do design books contain such rich content.
I loved hearing Ronda talk about her “Journey to Getting Published.” Ronda has had her eyes set on writing a book since her childhood. As a teen, she became interested in cooking and began submitting her own recipes to Southern Living. She went on to have 50 or more recipes published by the magazine. Ronda felt that certainly after such success, she would be able to write a book on cooking. After relentless effort, Ronda was turned down by several publishing houses. What is so inspiring about Ronda, is that she didn’t let a “NO” derail her dreams of writing a book. She continued to work on several book ideas, only to be turned down time and again. And yet, Ronda never gave up on her dream.
Ronda moved to Scotland and found herself living in limited space. She started her blog, All the Best, in order to get her design fix since she no longer had space to decorate. Ronda, forever the writer, began to look for unique ways to set her blog apart from all the rest. She found her sweet spot when she began asking prominent designers for interviews for her blog. The interviews were a huge success and “All the Best” is one of the most read blogs on the web.
Rhonda’s blog allowed her to forge many contacts in the design and publishing industries. Her tireless efforts pursuing cutting edge interviews and new found contacts led Rhonda to Rizzolli and the publishing of her book.
I think all of us could learn a lesson or two from Ronda Rice Carman. She had a dream and never let a few no’s deter her from writing a book. Ronda didn’t achieve her goal overnight. It took her 20 years to achieve her dream. We often become frustrated when things don’t happen as quickly as we would like. So many times, we give up right before we reach our dreams. My hats off to Ronda for never giving up on her dreams.
I recommend that you buy Designers Homes today. Not only is it full of stunning interiors and delightful information, it is also a reminder that good things come to those who wait.
