TUESDAY TALKS

SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR:  R U T H   H A R T M A N

Before we get started talking about your books, tell us a little about yourself.  Where are you from? 

 I live in rural Indiana with my husband of 28 years and two furry children (cats), Roxy and Maxwell.

What is your occupation outside of writing? 

As my day job, I work part-time as a dental hygienist in a small town thirty miles away.

 Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?

It depends on the situation. If I'm with friends or family, I'm more outgoing. But if I have to speak in front of people, let's just say I'd rather someone poked me in the eye. Repeatedly.

What are your favorite books to read?

I love sweet romances. Debbie Macomber is my favorite for those. And I also like mysteries, especially by Mary Higgins Clark.

Where is the most unique place you have traveled?

When I was in high school, I went with my dad, a Baptist minister, on a Holy Land Tour. One of the places was Cairo, Egypt. We climbed up inside a pyramid, saw the Sphinx, and rode camels. It was wild! I remember him saying, "I bet you never get to do this again!" And he was right! That's a once in a lifetime deal.

Aside from your successes in the writing industry, what in your life has given you the greatest sense of accomplishment?

My marriage. Garry is my best friend and soul mate. We have so much fun together. 28 years have sped by.

How many books have you written and how many of those are published? 

Published:

My Life in Mental Chains

Flossophy of Grace

Pillow Talk

Coming out this month:

Purrfect Voyage

To be published this year:

Grin and Barrett

Murphy in the Paw-Paw Patch

Work in Progress:

Purr

Do you have one particular genre that all your books fall under (i.e. suspense, romance, etc.)  or do you write in many different genres?

My first book "My Life in Mental Chains" is a memoir. That's something I only plan to do once. It was painful to write, but I'm glad I did it.

"Murphy in the Paw-Paw Patch" is my only children's book.

The others are all sweet romances. That's where I see myself staying.

How much character and plot detailing do you plan out before you begin writing a novel, or are you a “pantser” (fly by the seat of your pants) ?

I'm definitely a Pantser. My story evolves as I type. I've always been that way.

Prior to becoming a published author, how many rejections did you receive?  How did you handle the rejections?

I started out sending out children's stories. I lost count of how many rejections there were. I was ready to bag the whole thing when a publisher rejected my children's story about a girl with OCD, but requested a memoir instead. That's how my first published book, "My Life in Mental Chains" came to be.

How and when do you write? Do you keep yourself on a schedule or do you work while the muse is with you? I'm attached to my muse. If she'd not there, I'm usually not either, unless I can talk her out of hiding. I write on my days off and on weekends. After a day of cleaning teeth, I'm usually too tired to write.

If you have a new release coming out, tell us about it.

Flossophy of Grace just came out a few weeks ago. It's about a dental hygienist who falls in love with her patient. But when her boss finds out, he blows a gasket and tells her she'll lose her job if he finds out she's been seen with the patient again. So Grace, the hygienist, and Bruce, the patient, have to find ways to be together without her boss finding out. One thing they do, though, is to have Bruce come into the dental office as often as possible for every service imaginable. That way, at least they can spend a little time together, and her boss can't say much about it.

If you could give one piece of advice to writers trying to get published, what would that advice be?

Find your special niche and do not give up!!!

What's up next for you and your writing? I'm working on "Purr" about a woman who runs a stray cat shelter and falls in love with the father of a boy she's helping. It was originally a short story in a published anthology, but I'm rewriting it to be a stand alone novel.

Anything else you'd like to share with my blog readers? Thank you for reading my interview. I hope you'll enjoy my books! I had so much fun writing them. :)

Where can we read more about you and your work? My website address is www.ruthjhartman.blogspot.com

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your work with us!