Featured Interview With Rue
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up everywhere—Minnesota, Kansas, Massachusetts, Georgia, California and finally Arizona. I sometimes even got to revisit places, in fact there were a few rounders in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (MN). I would have to say that the nomadic lifestyle was hell as a child, but looking back I can appreciate all the nuggets I was able to collect for future stories. The reason I write fiction is simply because my entire life has been crammed full of experiences that are just too amazing to be true. The characters I create all have threads pulled from real people I encountered in my travels—yes, every one.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wrote my first manifesto at age three; a letter begging my grandfather to stop smoking; to the small pink piece of stationary, I taped two dimes and a nickel—his reward for quitting. The entreaty was successful and the power of the pen was instilled in my soul. Throughout my life I have written unceasingly; journals, poems, short stories, screenplays, and articles for newspapers and magazines. My love of ink led me to pursue a B.A. in Journalism from Pepperdine University in California. I also suffer from a slight obsession with office supplies—mostly pens and fine paper.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love writing, but working on “My Favorite Second Chance” did come with some moments of “freak out.” Reading helps me escape from reality and relieves stress, and with a teenager running around…I need relief! Books are my best friends!
Here are my all-time favorites:
10. Steven Pressfield
9. Sara Gruen
8. Michael Chabon
7. Gregory Maguire
6. Colette
5. Clarissa Pinkola-Estes
4. Yann Martel
3. J. R. R. Tolkien
2. Marian Keyes
1. Juliet Marillier
This list would be different if you asked me tomorrow. There are always new authors joining the fray, and I know working on the third book in The Lake Effect Series will have its share of ups and downs. Read! Read! Read!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
At the time of this answer my latest book is Book 2 in The Lake Effect Series, “My Favorite Second Chance.” The story of the Hutchinson sisters is close to my heart. I have two brothers and a sister—I love them all, but my sister and I have a deep connection that deserved to be memorialized in print (or “e”). Now, just to be clear, the story is a vehicle to explore the unbreakable bonds of a sibling relationship in the face of serious family drama—but it is not “about” my sister or my family. I drew on decades of school, work and uncomfortable church-related interactions to create the characters in The Lake Effect Series.
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Rue says
Great questions! Thanks for the fun interview 🙂