Thank you Dawn for hosting me on your blog today. I thought it would be
easy to write a top ten post. I was drawing a blank when I got a call from my
close friend, Jean. She and I started writing at about the same time and have
stayed in touch. We were catching up about some social gatherings we had each
attended and noted a curiosity.
When we met new people at social
gatherings the question about what we did for a living was a common subject. It’s
a neutral topic much like the weather. When we were both working, she in
advertising and me in banking, It provoked little excitement but pleasantly passed
the time. Nine times out of ten our jobs took very little explaining. You
didn’t get a lot of questions.
“I teach at the high school. What do you do?” I’d be asked
“I work in finance.” I’d take another sip of my wine.
Even after I retired the routine from the bank it was the same but I had
a different response.
“I teach at the high school. What do you do?” I’d be asked
“I volunteer at several community agencies.” I’d take another sip of my
wine.
Notice, no mention of being a romance
author. It took me some time to come to grips with that. Oh, not because I’m
not proud or excited about my career. No. It was the things people would say after
I told them I was an author that had made me cautious. We commiserated on that
too.
With inspiration from Jean, here are the top ten things not to say to a
romance author (yes the questions are real) and how I would LOVE to respond:
1. Did you model that character after me?
A voice inside my head warns me. It blares loud
and clear. I smile and say nothing while the response playing in my head in full
Dolby Sound says…
“Oh, I didn’t know you could fight with a long staff, translate ancient
texts or use magic. No, you’re too boring to be in my book. Besides, you look
nothing like Gerard Butler.”
2. Did you get your plot from a TV program?
I try not to widen my eyes or suck in a deep breath. “You do know that’s
called theft of intellectual property?”
3. Are you going to put what I just said in a book?
Really? Do you really want me to tell the world exactly what you think
of your mother-in-law? And if I did put it in my book would you ever know? You
keep asking me for a complimentary copy. You can’t pay $3.99 for the book?
4. Who did you fashion your characters after?
I try not to look too quizzically. “You do know I write fiction, fantasy
with druids and time travel and that I make all this stuff up.”
5. Did that really happen?
See the answer to number 4.
6. Where do you get your ideas?
Okay, this is a legitimate question. But the person asking is looking
for the name of a book or website. They want a three second response. There are
entire workshops on this topic.
7. Do your children know you write this stuff?
“Yes and they all buy copies for their friends and in-laws for the
holidays.”
8. Do people actually buy your books?
“While you want a free copy, there are others, according to my royalty
checks, who pay to read my stories.”
9. This isn’t real literature, you know.
“Really? That’s how the government
classifies it when I file my copyright.”
10. I could write something like this… how hard could it be?
“Yea, (hands on hips) go ahead… I dare you!”
More often than not I’m with my husband at social gatherings. When someone
asks what I do, he says, “Ruth’s a romance author. Let me tell you about her
new book.” I stand and listen. He gets as excited about them as I do.
Ruth A. Casie’s first career as a Vice President and product
manager for a major international bank took her around the world. Romance
novels were her companions on the long flights and solo dining experiences. Her
imagination ran wide when she visited historic sites and ancient ruins. She
loves to include little details from her travels, and her family, into her
stories. In addition to writing historic fantasy time travel romance for Carina
Press and Harlequin, Ruth is a participating author in the TIMELESS TALES short
story series. Her book KNIGHT OF RUNES was a NJRW Golden Leaf Finalist in 2011.
THE GUARDIAN’S WITCH was a RomCon Reader’s Crown Finalist in 2013. KNIGHT OF
RAPTURE was a NJRW Golden Leaf finalist in 2015. You can reach her at www.RuthACasie.com , on Twitter @RuthACasie, at her Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/RuthACasie or at Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ruthacasie/
KNIGHT OF RUNES
When
Lord Arik, a druid knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without
protection, he swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself.
When Arik sees her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting
style, he's intrigued.
Rebeka is no ordinary seventeenth-century
woman—she's travelled back from the year 2011, and she desperately wants to
return to her own time. She poses as a scholar sent by the king to find out
what's killing Arik's land. But as she works to decode the ancient runes that
are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home, she finds herself
drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.
As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in
Arik's household schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid with a grudge
prepares his revenge. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the
future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.
Genre:
Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Time Travel
Publisher:
Carina Press
Amazon: http://amzn.to/14jMXOy
Except:
Motioning to his men to
follow, Arik raced toward the camp. He could hear the shouts, and cursed
himself for not seeing the danger. He crested the hill and came to an abrupt
halt.
Logan’s sword ripped
through the air as he protected Doward. The tinker drew his short blade and did
as much damage as he could. But it was the woman Arik noticed. Her skirt hiked up,
she twirled her walking stick like a weapon with an expertise that left him
slack-jawed. She dispatched the attackers, one by one, in a deadly
well-practiced dance. A man rushed toward her, knife in hand. The sneer on his
face didn’t match the fear in his eyes. She stepped out of his line of attack,
extended her stick to her side, and holding it with both hands swept the weapon
forward, striking the attacker across the bridge of his nose. Blood exploded
from his face in an arc of fine spray as his head snapped back. Droplets dusted
her face creating an illusion of bright red freckles. As he fell, she reversed
her swing and caught him hard behind his knees. He went down on his back,
spread-eagled. She swung her stick over her head and landed a precise and
disabling blow to his forehead that knocked him unconscious.
As she spun to face the next threat her eyes captured Arik’s
and held. In the space of an instant, time slowed to a crawl. Her hair slowly
loosened from its pins and swirled out around her. His breath caught and his
heartbeat quickened as a rapturous surge raced through his body. Something
eternal and familiar, with a sense of longing, unsettled him. In the next
heartbeat, she tore her eyes away, leaving him empty. Time resumed its normal
pace. Another attacker lay at her feet.
Arik joined the fight.
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