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I’ve lived my entire life in conservative, Republican, tiny-town Midwest USA surrounded by corn-, wheat-, and soybean fields. It’s a strange place indeed for a Liberal Independent to have sprouted. Like Emily Dickenson I’ve never seen a moor and never seen the sea. But I’ve seen plenty of silos, Amish buggies, whitetails, and amber waves of grain. My imagination and books take me to places beyond the flat, fertile land of the Midwest. I’m many, many years past schooldays, but my education is continuous and far-ranging. I’m interested in everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, from Shakespeare to groan-inducing puns and limericks. I especially find people fascinating. All people. My library has many shelves of history, biography, drama, and reference books. My special love of drama plays a big part in The Phoenix, and my passion for Classical and Romantic music comes to life in my next book, Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story.

After thirty-five years of working for other people, the time has finally come when I can write full-time, and focus on the stories that have been in my head for years. My characters are thankful to escape; it was getting very crowded in there.


Interview with Author Ruth Sims:
It's rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a 'real' job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you've had in your life?
Ruth Sims: I’ve been a retail clerk in a bargain store, the actual slogan of which was “Our Junk Is The Best Junk In Town.” I have been a gas jockey/office-girl/bookkeeper at a gas station-garage, a church organist and choir director (go figure), correspondent for a weekly paper, sales entry clerk, legal secretary/real estate paralegal, and insurance company secretary. (I lasted one whole month in the insurance office before it drove me to the brink.) I held several positions with a large school district and I was an Avon Lady. Since then I’ve worked as an independent editor/ proof-reader/ copyeditor (three different functions, which most people don’t realize) and author. Guess which one provides the least income but the most satisfaction!
What compelled you to write your first book?
Ruth Sims: My very first one? I was in grade school and I simply had to put words on paper, that’s all. It was an obsession. I wish I still had a copy of it. My first book as an adult is still unpublished because I keep changing viewpoints. It was brought about because I love history and somewhere along the way I fell in love with Alexander Hamilton and simply had to write (badly) about him. That was in the 1970’s and I’m still working on that book from time to time. I’ve finally decided to tell it from the viewpoint of his wife. Someday I’ll get it finished. And thank God I write much better now.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Ruth Sims: I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t making up stories. I tormented my little brother (four years younger) by making up plays for the two of us about a pair of dogs, one of whom was incredibly smart and the other incredibly stupid and always needed to be rescued. He adored me and did everything I told him, so I made him act out the stories with me as we crawled around on our hands and knees and barked. I’d ask you to guess which of us played the incredibly smart one… but it’s such a no-brainer. We had some good laughs about it shortly before he died of cancer a few years ago.
Briefly tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Ruth Sims: Briefly? I knew there was a catch! OK, here’s a list of the ones in the works, some have gay themes and some don’t. Available now in Print – The Phoenix. Only Nick Stuart’s tortured love can save the charismatic, damaged Kit St. Denys. But in saving Kit, Nick stands to lose everything. Available soon in Amazon Kindle format. There is a gorgeous, lush new video book trailer created by Brenda Adcock at http://youtube.com/user/badcock24

Works in progress:
Hamilton’s Wife
Rain Dancer – my only contemporary; anti-gay hate crimes and a love beyond death
Quinn -- late 19th century; a mother’s betrayal, misguided vengeance and love between a union organizer and a union breaker.
A Bit of Earth – Americana. A young couple face racial prejudice, poverty, and extreme differences in the 1920’s-1930’s
Cullain – novella; 19th century Wiccan; gay love story

Short Stories:
Tom: or, An Improbable Tail – Available in two print anthologies, Charmed Lives (Lethe) and Best Gay Romance (Cleis) and in the free March/April 2008 issue of Forbidden Fruit E-Zine at http://www.forbiddenfruitzine.com/
Mariel, published in Blithe House Quarterly free online at http://www.blithe.com/
Mr. Newby's Revenge will be in Fall issue of MystericalE at www.mystericale.com
Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Ruth Sims: Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story. An offer was recently received from a mainstream publisher but for various reasons my agent advised me to turn it down. She will soon begin submitting it again. It is my second 1890’s-era historical novel with gay protagonists. Composer Dylan Rutledge deeply loves another man and they believe it is forever. When Dylan loses his love, he also loses his will to create. To find it again, he must also find the courage to love again because he cannot separate the two.
Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?
  • 2004 – The Phoenix won First Place in the LBGT Category of the Independent E-Book Publishers Competition.
  • 2005 – The Phoenix won the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Honorable Mention
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Ruth Sims: The only thing comparable to it is holding a new baby. In my case it was like holding a new baby after being pregnant for 20 years, since it took me that long to get The Phoenix finished to my satisfaction and into print.
What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?
Ruth Sims: I listen mostly—but not entirely-- to classical or Romantic music from the 19th century such as Chopin, Liszt, and Schumann. This was especially true while I was writing Counterpoint. During that time most of the music was performed by the brilliant (and really good-looking) Joshua Bell. I like to have pictures of people who look like my characters taped up around me so I got to have lots of pictures of Josh as well as listening to his music. Although I like many kinds of vocal music from 80’s rock to opera and Broadway, I never listen to vocal music while I’m writing because the words are too distracting. I choose music that matches the mood of the scene.
What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?
Ruth Sims: The characters. I always begin with the characters, and then I have to find out where they’re going, what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, and what made them the way they are. This was especially true of Kit in The Phoenix because he was so damaged psychologically. The odd thing is that sometimes I try to make them do or be something they don’t want to be—and they win every time. Kit, by the way, was originally just a minor character. He ended up taking over the book.
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
Ruth Sims: I’m most proud of having two children who grew into honest, caring, and productive people, and who were are far better children than I was, and far better parents than I was. I won’t mention my granddaughters because I know you all would scream and run for the hills. (But just for the record they are beautiful, smart, and good. :) )
What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?
Ruth Sims: There’s not much left of my biological family. Out of a very large family there are only three of us left. I’ve been married to the same man for almost a half century. Is my family supportive? Not so you could notice it. Mostly they ignore it and hope I’ll go into something more respectable, like bank robbery. I get my support from my readers and my friends, some of whom are also authors and some are readers. Some are both.
The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?
Ruth Sims: There’s always some element, I’m sure, even if it’s an attempt to give a character traits that you lack but wish you had. For instance, I’ve never been a forceful person with self-confidence, and in crowds I become part of the wallpaper. Kit St. Denys, in The Phoenix, is like a force of nature; he’s charismatic and, outwardly, sublimely self-confident. He takes charge. One element that is in me that shows up in almost everything I write, usually unplanned, is the yearning to have a religious faith though plagued by deep inner doubts and questions. In my life, as in Nick’s in The Phoenix, a belief in God wars with pragmatism and reality. That’s the long answer. I guess the short answer would be “Yes.”
Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
Ruth Sims: I don’t know about emulation because I would never presume to have the skill to emulate someone like Mary Renault, for instance. If I could, I would. Her Alexander books, and the war novel The Charioteer are on a pedestal. Pat Barker’s World War One trilogy is perfection. Oh, this list would be endless, so I’d better quit while I’m ahead.
When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?
Ruth Sims: I detested Shakespeare in school but fell in love with his tragedies when I got out of school and read them on my own. I’ve always loved the works of John Steinbeck, the Bronte sisters, Jack London, Thomas Hardy. When I was in grade school I went through a dog-and-horse-story phase and read them all, especially Will James, who did his own wonderful illustrations. About the only books I didn’t like when I was a kid were “girl books” like Little Women and The Bobbsey Twins. My aunt bought them all for me and I don’t think I ever read any of them all the way through. In high school it took me forever to get through Les Miserables but I’ve never forgotten it. The most unforgettable books I read in high school were The Red Badge of Courage, and John Brown’s Body by Stephen Vincent Benet. I’ve re-read them both many times.
What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
Ruth Sims: My taste is eclectic, but my favorite kind of book will always be biographies. The most recent one was Chernow’s relatively new biography of Alexander Hamilton. And I must mention another that isn’t a biography but a memoir by Victor J. Banis: Spine Intact, Some Creases. He was a true pioneer and even had to live abroad when he was young to avoid prosecution by the Federal government. It’s a fascinating story. I believe he knew everybody. Molly Gloss, Wild Life, Amy Bloom, Away, Sara Gruen, and Peter Quinn, Banished Children of Eve, are also high up on my list. There are so many contemporary authors I enjoy and admire, and many of them have become my friends, that I’ll name only a couple and hope the others understand: Lori Lake’s Snow Moon Rising is magnificent, as is Patricia Nell Warren’s The Wild Man, Ronald Donaghe’s Common Sons trilogy is excellent, and Victor J. Banis’ (whom I already mentioned) Man From C.A.M.P series has been reprinted and the stories are all sexy, clever, and very funny.
Hey, let's get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
Ruth Sims: “She didn’t write the Great American Novel but she tried.” In the obit I want them to lie like a rug, say I was tall, beautiful, accomplished, and died far too young, and put in a picture of Julia Roberts.
Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now - city? Suburb? Country? Farm? If you could live anywhere you want to live, where would that be?
Ruth Sims: My growing up place and where I live now are one and the same. I’m just a small-town Midwesterner who is as sophisticated and stylish as a rag mop. I don’t think I could survive in a large city—and by large city I mean anything over 35,000 people—so I’ll stay where I am. We live close enough to larger cities with theatres than I can indulge my love of live theatre and orchestras and bookstores, and then go home to my house with the trees, the whitetails, and the raccoons.
Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.
Ruth Sims: We have a 12-year-old tabby who graciously allows us to share her home and feed her. She often condescends to lie on the most comfortable lap until your knees grow numb and your bladder screams; we don’t move and Disturb the Cat. She’s the only cat I’ve ever seen who will walk on a leash. The humans in the house share one bathroom. She has two litter boxes all to herself. As the saying goes, “Cats were once worshipped as gods. They remember it well.”
Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like?
Ruth Sims: I write in my office, which is incredibly messy. I thrive on chaos. My husband is Mr. Neat and periodically he moves my stacks and closes my reference books and then I explode with wrath. (Which, since I’m less than five feet tall, this doesn’t frighten anyone, least of all, him.)
Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?
Ruth Sims: Mostly I watch television just to keep my husband company, so whatever he wants to watch in the evening after work, we watch. The one show we both enjoy is a Canadian sit-com called Corner Gas. Left to my own devices, I enjoy the old movies on Turner Classic Movies, Masterpiece on the local PBS station, and Criminal Minds on CBS. And every time they start a new season of Dancing With the Stars I tell myself I’m not getting sucked into it again, but I always do.
What about movies? Same as above.
Ruth Sims: Now, movies are another matter altogether! Until I discovered TCM I’d never seen a silent film or movies from the 20’s and 30’s. I was amazed to find out how good many of them were, or how racy they were, especially between 1929 and 1935. And in the first decades of filmmaking writers actually had to write good dialogue because they weren’t allowed to use obscenities at all, let alone use them at the modern ratio of ten-obscenities-per-twelve-word-sentence. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But honestly, that’s how it seems and it’s unimaginative and boring. I like movies with emotional depth to them and great acting and stories. If there are special effects, fine. But they’re not necessary to my enjoyment. My current favorite is Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp. Anything with Johnny Depp. Except The Libertine, which made me want to take a Lysol bath. I can’t say that they influence my writing. At least I don’t think they do.
Focusing on your most recent (or first) book, tell our readers what genre your book is and what popular author you think your writing style in this book is most like.
Ruth Sims: With both The Phoenix, which is in print, and Counterpoint, which isn’t yet published, people have compared my writing to that of both Mary Renault and Pat Barker. I don’t know if it is; if it is, it wasn’t deliberate. But I don’t mind being compared with either of them at all! They both wrote historical fiction, as do I, and both produced masterworks. I don’t think I’m in that league, but it’s nice to think so.
How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?
Ruth Sims: I’m a very slow writer. And when I say slow, I mean s-l-o-w. Both The Phoenix and Counterpoint were worked on, on-and-off, for about twenty years before I was satisfied with them. I have five other books “under construction.” I figure if I live to be 180 I’ll get them all finished.
Is there anyone you'd like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?
Ruth Sims: There have been many people, too many to list here, but they know how grateful I am to them. I must mention two in particular, though, because their friendship and encouragement has propped me up for a quarter of a century. One is Ruth Souther, a novelist, (Death of Innocence) and the other is Mary Jessie Parker, a children’s picture book author (most recently Wild and Woolly). They have nagged, prodded, nagged some more, listened to me kvetch, celebrated and commiserated with me. There are also two Aussies who are responsible for making me return to my original concept of Counterpoint: Alex Hogan and Margaret Whitfield. They’re dear friends—and I’ve never met either of them. The wonders of the Internet!
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?

My website (www.ruthsims.com) isn’t updated very often because I don’t know how to do it, but periodically I have someone add things to it. My email address is there, and some other stuff. I have a LiveJournal blog, but LJ hates me, so I don’t use it much. I do love to hear from readers and they’re more than welcome to email me at either ruthsims@concast.net or RSNewsletter@comast.net. It may take me a while but I will answer. When I have real news I put out a newsletter to those who subscribe to it at the RSNewsletter address. I don’t do it very often, so no one’s Inbox is overcome by my newsletter.

I just started two blogs on WordPress. On one I’ll just rant and give my unwanted opinions. On the other I’ll review books I really enjoyed. It will be an eclectic list, in that it will not be limited to one genre or type because I love nonfiction as much as fiction, and non-gay books as much as gay stories. http://ruthsims.wordpress.com/ for my regular blog, and http://www.reviewsbyruth.wordpress.com/ for my review blog.

I guess that’s the last question! Thank you, Michelle, for this opportunity to tell people more than they ever wanted to know. I hope everyone who reads The Phoenix enjoys it and finds the characters worth spending time with. And ditto Counterpoint, when it’s published.

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Michy's comments - thanks, Ruth! Fantastic interview! BTW, I wouldn't mind them using Julia Roberts for my double obit pic too...LOL




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