Featured Interview With Fred Rutter
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born, raised, and still live in central Ohio, and have lived in a small rural village southeast of Columbus for a number of decades. I enjoy living in a funky little old house, in an old town, on the edge of the Appalachian foothills. It is where my roots have grasped familiar and comfortable soil, and given me a strong sense of home. Though I do, and have often traveled a lot, having a place to call home is important.
For just about my whole life I have lived in the company of cats. They make life interesting, and my wife, who used to be a dog person, now is a convert to the feline style of living. I also have many hobbies, but the main ones are history, photography, and collecting old imprinted paving bricks. All those pursuits provide ample excuses to get out of the house and do things.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books have been an integral part of my life since childhood. My parents were avid readers. My grandfather was both a reader and the author of a number of respected books on history.
Some feeble attempts at creative writing were made in high school, but the seed did not germinate until I was in my early twenties. At that point I began to write non-fiction narratives, and honed my skills crafting articles for a small historical publication. Writing continues to be a passion, and provides me with much satisfaction, even though much of it has never been published.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
What can I say? I am a reading pig! Cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, books – I read them all! Primarily, I enjoy well crafted sentences, intriguing word and thought combinations, and imagination. Lately I have been reading a lot of Michael Connelly, because I like the conciseness of his sentences and chapter structure. So that is realistic fiction. However, I also like non-fiction, and the last book in that genre, that I recently finished reading, was an incredible book titled “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, published in 2009. Currently, I am reading a novel titled “Ohio” by Stephen Markley, and am enjoying it thoroughly. So I cannot say any one author, or any specific genre inspires my writing – good writing inspires my writing.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Hitting the Road Without a Map” did not start out as a book. I was lucky to have been offered the opportunity to take a long trip. Events leading up to it forced me to take a deeper look into myself and deal with some hidden fears. The trip itself was transformative, as my partner and I learned to let go of a lot of preconceived notions and live in the moment. My wife could see that something deep had happened to me upon my return, and she had wrestled with a few of her own demons while I was away, so she encouraged me to write about what happened. What started as a short story, just for the personal pleasure of recounting the tale, evolved into something much bigger, and she pressed me to turn it into a book. I blanched at the idea, since I had never attempted anything approaching book length. Three months later, I had produced something resembling a book, and eight re-writes and edits later, there actually was a book. A publisher agreed, and took a chance on me, and on the book.
At its heart, the book is a road trip story, from the vantage point of two guys who do not know each other very well. They seize the opportunity to transport a large RV from Ohio to Oregon, even though neither one of them has actually driven a vehicle like this. So along the way the author learns a bit more about himself, how his fears have controlled his life, and what it is like to live day to day without much of a plan and literally no schedule. His partner proves himself to be up to the task as well. So the personal development is set upon the backdrop of two Midwesterners experiencing the grandeur of the West, up close and personal, for the very first time.
This is not a travelogue of what to see, or how to do it. The story is more about the richness of life and how to enjoy every minute of it, and for the reader to understand that process, the participants thoughts and background are necessary in order to provide context for the spiritual awakening experienced by the two men on the road, and the author’s wife at home. It makes for a richer story, and it is real.
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