You can't see her anywhere other than in her crate, tapping heavily on her phone and drinking gallons of caffeine to stay awake and sane.
And then she passes out, when humans are busy working, and finally, wakes up along with Zombies to rule the night.
Call me, dude, I'm always available.
1-800-Gee-MyBad
I guess…it’s after finishing and publishing my debut book, I thought maybe I should continue writing. In fact, I fell in love with this writing gig.
Frankly speaking, I never thought I will become a writer. I see myself as an accidental writer.
I also guess it’s in the blood because my uncle (a South African) from my mom’s side is a traditional published author. We have never met in-person, and also we are from different origins and live in different countries. But we exchange our drafts every now and again.
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
I hate to say no, because I am not an avid reader.
Every summer vacation I used to read a book. A book that is all.
Are any of your characters based on people in real life?
Characters? No, not really but except for one character, which is loosely based on my bf. But others are purely my imagination.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
A simple Instagram picture. A simple phone call from a childhood friend with whom I’d lost contact with. A simple lazy conversation when being met with a group of friends.
Yep, I am trying to say that inspirations are always around us, and in that time, at that particular moment, I was drawn to something that would pick my interest, no matter what it is/was I want to write that scene. Or write that conversation. Or I wanted to research on it.
Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I always have a basic outline. Plus, characters do lead but not overly so.
I strictly stick to the outline, because I like to torture myself. Admittedly, that process is not funny at all. At least not to me.
When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
Yes. I do have for the heroines. Not really for the heroes.
Lately, heroes are just inside my head. That’s because I search and find (nearly find) them for my covers. Also, searching cover models is the last process, like when I am at 65-80% of writing the first draft.
In that case, how I pictured my heroes in my head are always on my covers. But for heroines, I need to have a picture right from the start.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
I only release a book per year because of that. I don’t move anywhere in the middle of the writing process. Even if I think of breaking the pattern, my OCD won’t allow it.
So, once I publish a book, I immediately go for a vacation. It will be mostly a two-week vacation, where I won’t read or plot or write at that time.
I take a complete break. That’s my escape.
Who are your favorite current authors to read?
Colleen Hoover, Penelope Douglas, Keri Lake. Skye Warren and Laura Thalassa (I just started reading them recently and fell in love with their works).
What are your favorite books by others?
It Ends With Us, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday (all three by Colleen Hoover), and the Devil’s Night Series by Penelope Douglas.
Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?
Not really. Most places in my books are made up, because it makes the process easy for me.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
So far, I have written only in Dual POVs. If the plot demands, I may write in multiple POVs in the future. And I don’t think I will ever write in single POV. Nor do I prefer.
What do you find to be your best research tool?
Google and YouTube. Sometimes, Twitter and Instagram works for me.
Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
I write under K.R. RUTH. And that is it for now.
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
Romantic suspense—this genre makes the work more interesting because I like to research and learn new things based on the plot.
Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?
My middle name is Ruth, so it is really my name and not just a pen name.
I am a computer engineer graduate and I worked as an editor (used to edit scientific patent research papers) for the UK based company.
Due to a minor medical condition, I quit my job and after many years doing something, which I really didn’t like or love, I finally decided to quit all and very slowly I wrote and finished my debut book.
Now I can’t imagine myself doing something else other than writing.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Just write. Don’t overthink on it.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
I really don’t ignore those comments. Nor do I overanalyze it.
I take the core element and work on it, to make myself better at giving a quality content next time. Because one thing I understood, not all books are meant for everyone.
Sometimes, when I read a negative review, I can understand that this particular book of mine or all my books are not meant for that reader.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Intimacy scenes and first half of the book, because that’s where you build the needed tension between the main leads.
So I think it’s very important to go through that little pain, to give a good book to your readers.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?
Silence. Silence and more silence.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
I am a very serious workspace person. Yeah, boring I know.
BTW, does ignoring my bf’s VC comes under naughty indulgence? I hope he doesn’t read this.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?
I, myself, am an introvert, so I don’t think I’d want a day to spend with them.
And in that case, I would like to have coffee with Colleen Hoover and Penelope Douglas (of course individually).
Colleen Hoover because her books would start slowly and move with fun-filled conversation, and then bam, you will never see that change of gear at all, where it makes you cry your heart and eyes out.
Her characters are so real, where I wanted to fundraise for them for no reason at all.
Penelope Douglas because her books are fun and adventurous. She promises to take us on a wild, crazy ride. I am always thrilled to see where her characters are going to take us this time.
Mainly, I’ll get some books signed by them.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?
It’s always nighttime for me. Water is must and used to have gallons of coffee but recently I am allergic to caffeine (yeah, breaks my heart). Now it’s just water or fresh juice or tea.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?
I don’t listen to music. I prefer soft music. No metal for me.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
Sadly I don’t have pets.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
Missing my deadline by falling sick. When that happens I hate it.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?
That has never happened so far.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
I will have a peaceful sleep that day. LOL!
Connect w/ K.R.:
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