I am happy to say that Ruth Ann Nordin, the author of An Unlikely Place for Love, has taken time out of her busy schedule to grant me a blog interview! Thank you Ruth Ann.
I recently read & reviewed An Unlikely Place for Love, click here to read my review.
Now, onto the interview.....
Bookworm: Welcome Ruth Ann, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to grant me a blog interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Ruth Ann: Thank you for interviewing me, Naida. I appreciate it! I am a stay-at-home mom of four young boys and the wife of an active duty military member. When I'm not running around doing the wife and mom thing, I read and write. I began reading and writing since I was 13 and it's bloomed into something I am passionate about. It's the one thing that gets me through some of my hectic days when I'm doing the fourth laundry load of the day, giving another bath to one of my sons, cooking a different meal because I have a picky eater, etc. I don't care what anyone says. Motherhood is the toughest job on the planet. :)
Bookworm: What inspired you to write An Unlikely Place for Love?
Ruth Nordin:
I love to read books and watch movies where the woman is disguised as a man because there are so many funny things that can happen, specifically when another woman happens to find the disguised woman attractive. There's just too many interesting ways to handle that situation.
Bookworm:What was the hardest thing about writing this book? How long did it take you to write?
Ruth Nordin: The hardest part about writing it was how to handle Chad finding out that Kate was disguised as Billy. Originally, he was angry because he felt betrayed, but that didn't seem to work with the comedy part of it. I wanted to keep it fun and upbeat. So I rewrote the part where he found out about four times before I got it right. Because of this part of the book, it took me three months to finish the first draft. Typically, it takes me two months to finish a story.
Bookworm: In An Unlikely Place for Love, Kate Tanner goes from being Kate to playing the part of Billy. This has her on a huge run-around, and it all seems so hectic for her. She gets herself into some very funny predicaments, I was laughing out loud when she was dancing with Lacy. How did you come up with these different scenarios? Was it difficult writing funny scenes?
Ruth Nordin: I'm glad you found those parts funny because my favorite parts of this book are whenever "Billy" and Lacy were together. The first two times Kate (as "Billy") and Lacy were together came naturally. I just kept asking myself, "What is it that men do that disgust me?" But as the story progressed, I did have trouble thinking up new ways for Lacy to be attracted to "Billy", no matter how badly "Billy" appeared. The hardest part was how to end it so that Lacy and "Billy" could be happy, especially when "Billy's" wife showed up. I rewrote Lacy's reaction to that three times.
Bookworm:This book is part of a trilogy, with The Cold Wife and An Inconvenient Marriage being the other two books. Which of your own characters is your favorite? Which book are you most proud of?
Ruth Nordin: My favorite character is Kate Tanner. She was as strong-willed as my other female leads but she had a carefree attitude about things and could bend into unfamiliar situations and win people over. I am most proud of An Unlikely Place for Love. It is, to date, my favorite one.
Bookworm:Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Ruth Nordin: I love to hear from my readers. It's the highlight of my day. I systematically add additional chapters of my books on my website http://www.ruthannnordin.com so readers can get an idea of what my writing is like and see if what I'm writing is something they are interested in. I am also going to offer two or three of my books for free, starting in late January. I am still working through some last minute revisions on a book not published yet. I am going to offer a contemporary romantic comedy called With This Ring, I Thee Dread about a couple forced to marry and stranded in a remote cabin in Alaska. I am also going to offer An Unlikely Place for Love. I still haven't decided on what or if there will be a third book available. I do offer sample chapters of my works in progress on my website as well for anyone interested in what I'll be publishing in the future.
Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Ruth Nordin: My favorite authors are as follows: Carolyn Davidson (writes historical romances) because she writes tender romances with old fashioned values. Lois Lowry (who wrote The Giver) because her book, though sad, had me turning the pages until I finished it in one sitting, and she had great ideas that I thought were intriguing. Sarah Pawley (who writes historical fiction) because her romances are realistic. She's done her research and I love her writing style. Nathaniel Hawthorne because I read that he was ready to give up writing when his wife encouraged him to keep at it and that's when he wrote The Scarlet Letter. The book was required reading in high school, but the twists and turns in it captivated me and he was one of my top favorite authors ever since.
Bookworm: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Ruth Nordin: The best advice I can offer is to write what you are passionate about. I have tried writing stories that others wanted me to write but the quality wasn't what it could have been. These days I write what I'm inspired to and I am eager to get out of bed in the morning. Now learning how to improve my writing is also fun because it's something I want to do. Passion really does make all the difference.
Bookworm: Last but not least, if you were stranded on a deserted island, and were allowed to bring 3 items with you, what would they be?
Ruth Nordin:
This was the hardest question to answer. :) This is what I finally decided on: the Bible, a pop-up tent for shelter, and a thick blanket. (I was going to mention a couple of other books but I like so many I couldn't decide which to take along, and I'm no good at building things, so I'd better bring the tent and something to keep warm on the cool nights.)
Again, thank you Naida for the interview!
Bookworm: Thank you Ruth Ann, it's been a pleasure. And wow, a mother of 4! I agree motherhood is the toughest job.
Best of luck with everything!
---------------------------
If you haven't read An Unlikely Place for Love yet, I do recommend it. There's romance, humor and a clever plot in this fun and entertaining read.
