Today I am speaking with Ruth Sims. Hi Ruth and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews today. There are some anxious readers that would love to know more about Ruth.

Why don’t we begin by telling us something about Ruth Sims?

I’m a bona-fide, born-and-raised Illinoisan and I live where I’ve always lived--in a little town surrounded by corn and soybean fields. I’m one of those square peg people who has never quite fit in with most other people where I live. That can make for unhappiness, but it’s also the source for story ideas since good stories rely on conflict.

I was born in 1939, so I’ve never been sure whether my advent ended the Great Depression or caused Hitler to invade Poland. Isn’t that a nauseatingly clever way to tell you I’m so far over the age of consent I don’t remember what it was I was consenting to? I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart for 46 years, to the tune of a mortgage, two kids, three grandkids, a calico cat (deceased) and a striped tabby (Ruler of the House).

I grew up in a large poor family that had no books in the house. But we lived a block from the library and that was my real home.

I see that The Phoenix is out. Why not tell us how you came about writing this and let us know a little something about it?

The Phoenix is a gay love story, some folks call it a romance and maybe it is. I’ve never been quite sure what defines a romance. And it’s the last thing anyone would expect me to write.

The funny thing is that it started out as a “straight” romance set in the Civil War and ended up a gay romance set in the 1890’s. I admit being nonplussed when the guys started falling in love with each other instead of the chosen heroines. Frankly, I was shocked. Not because homosexuality bothers me but because at that time I didn’t know any gay people (well, actually I did. I just didn’t realize it.) and had never read such a story. This was a long time ago, when such books were not common and those that existed had to have the gay characters die or kill themselves.

I was, as I said, shocked. And puzzled. So I put it away and worked on other things. Periodically, I took it out and grimly set about making my heroes straight. Didn’t work, any more than it works when a parent tried to make a gay kid be straight. I put it away again. This went on for a number of years, twenty to be exact. Finally, I just decided to let them be what they wanted to be and when I did, when I finally let the story tell itself, just using me to supply the words, it went quickly. Characters do have a way of taking on their own life. Now you know why fiction writers are generally quite, quite mad.

I changed the era because I realized there are a lot of great authors of Civil War stories and I wasn’t one of them. Do I consider it the same story in spite of all the changes? Yes. Because the characters of Kit and Nick did not change. Kit remained charismatic, promiscuous, psychologically damaged by a horrible, abusive childhood. Nick remained straight-laced, a bit Puritanical, a decent man who wanted nothing more than to be a healer.

I’m proud that several critics have commented that my female characters are beautifully done, which is, regrettably, not always the case in gay stories.

It’s also the story of many kinds of love, not just the sexual kind. It’s about the dedication of a lover who is also a caregiver, the love of friends, the love of a father for his infant son, the love of a man for his wife even though he knows he must hurt her terribly for her own good.

The ending is neither happy nor sad, but bittersweet, as life frequently is.

I see you have many Work in Progress books. Would you like to share these upcoming works with your readers?

Oh, dear. Where to start?

Counterpoint is like The Phoenix, in that it’s a gay historical romance set in the 1890’s. It focuses on music and the racial bigotry against Gypsies.

Rain Dancer is my only contemporary, and it’s a horrendous piece to work on. It involves a series of hate crimes murders in the Midwest and the young gay man who goes undercover with a hate group to find the murderer of his lover.

A Bit of Earth has (surprise!) no gay characters, but is the story of a couple in the early 20th century. She is the daughter of a racist preacher and he is half-Cherokee, uneducated son of a racially mixed couple. This is the only story I’ve done based on family history.

Hamilton’s Wife is the story of our brilliant and flawed first secretary of the treasury and the woman who stood by him even when he humiliated her by being involved in the first public sex scandal in our history.

Quinn is back to the 19th century and the violent beginnings of the labor movement. This may or may not be a gay story. It’s not far enough along that the characters have told me yet.

Whom God Destroys – is a Victorian thriller about a female impersonator who is also a serial killer who makes Jack the Ripper look like a choirboy.

What does your working space look like?

Chaos. My husband (Mr. Neat) cringes every time he goes in there. I can’t work if everything’s tidy. I must have my stacks and piles and heaps.

What is a typical day like for you?

The alarm goes off at 4:30 AM. I pry my eyes open and stagger to the kitchen to have breakfast with my husband before he heads off to work. The main problem is that he’s a Morning Person (shooting is too good for them) and I’m not. I shuffle around until about 7:00, inject two cups of coffee directly into my veins, then grope my way to the computer. Then it’s e-mail time, maybe take a grandkid or two to school (they live just around the corner)and eventually I write.

How do you know what to name your books or the characters?

Book titles are a lot harder than characters’ names. The Phoenix had a number of titles until it occurred to me that Kit so often remade himself there was no other title that fit. He’s remaking himself from page one to the end. Nick, on the other hand, is always just Nick.

I use many sources when looking for names. Baby name books from several cultures, old abstracts from the 19th century (I used to do real estate paralegal work and collected old names, first and last in separate lists so that I don’t inadvertently use the actual name of a person. My favorite real name, which of course I can’t use, is Phoebe B. Bebee, from the 1840’s. Isn’t that delightful?

A bit of title trivia -- Of Mice and Men was originally titled Something That Happened.

Do you have any bad writing habits?

That’s pretty much all I have. The worst one is procrastination. I love to write, but I put off doing it.

What was the first story you ever wrote? Published or unpublished?

Well, I began my writing career as a playwright. When I was seven I wrote a play for my six-year-old nephew and me. We were dogs, Slip and Slide. One was Lassie-smart, and the other one was extremely stupid and always had to be rescued from things such as getting his hair caught in the bedsprings. It’s surprising what a wonderful cave can be imagined beneath a bed. Guess which of us played which part?

What makes a great book to you?

I read more nonfiction, especially biographies, than fiction, but I assume you mean fiction. First, second, and third: characters, characters, and characters. If the characters are real and compelling I can overlook a lot of other flaws.

How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I try to spend at least three hours a day actually sitting at the computer writing, though sometimes I don’t make it. That doesn’t count the hours doing research, editing and re-editing, trying to figure out how to sell the one already in print. Altogether I try to get in six hours a day of work before I have to stop and play wife, housewife, chief cook and bottle washer, and grandma again.

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?

Observe life. Listen. Look below the surface. Don’t be afraid to feel and reflect that feeling in what you write. That was what my high school creative writing coach, Miss Boyer, told me. At that time in my life it went in one ear and out the other, because I was a teenager and already know everything. But the older I got the smarter she became. I wish she were still living because I’d like to thank her.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

Well, regardless of my what my husband thinks, writing isn’t a hobby. For fun I like to read, be with my grandkids, walk in the woods, e-mail my friends (I could spend all day every day doing that!). I like to talk to people one-to-one (five minutes in a grocery check-out line and I’ll know your life story. People tell me weird things, and watch old movies on Turner Classics, the great silents and early talkies. They’re amazingly compelling, given the rudimentary technology.

We all have one, so tell us yours. What is your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate anything, of course. Is there anything else?

Was there any one person or event in your life that finally inspired you to sit down and write your first book?

No. I think it was just the culmination of many years of reading and pretending my way out of some bad childhood situations, and just living. There comes a time when all the pent-up experiences have to come out. Writing is a good way to do that.

Do you have a favorite movie that you could watch over and over again?

There are so many. The list would be endless. And it depends if I’m in the mood to laugh or cry. I’ve watched Dr. Zhivago more than anything else except Laurence of Arabia or … lol. I told you it was impossible to choose. When I want to laugh I put in Kevin Kline’s In and Out. I laugh hysterically every time I watch it, especially as he does his “real man” macho dance about a third of the way through the movie.

Do you have problems promoting yourself? What are some of the avenues you've used and do they work?

That is the hardest thing in the world for me. I’m painfully shy by nature and it’s difficult to push myself. Mostly I have used my website and sites like yours and The Romance Studio. I’m tremendously grateful for interviews such as this.

Really, my efforts at self-promotion really suck bilge water. I have no imagination when it comes to promotion and that’s bad. It may prove to be a fatal flaw as far as my writing for publication goes. The sales figures are not showing any great success from my efforts.

It’s strange, really. The Phoenix has been praised by dozens of people in online reviews and in personal e-mails to me, and yet its sales languishing. It might not bother me so much if it were a bad book or even a mediocre one. But judging from what other people have said, it’s neither. Maybe some magic Sales Fairy will come along and wave a magic wand. Or maybe Ang Lee will want to make it a film.

I would very much like to make contact with reading groups both online and off. I’m available for chats and interviews.

Ruth, do you have another website other than, www.ruthsims.com that you would like to share?

That’s my only website at this time. I hope to have a blog in the near future.

Also, I do have a newsletter with writing news, a chuckle or two, special sales, sometimes some very nice eye candy. Anybody who’s interested can be added to the mailing list by emailing me here and putting NEWSLETTER in the subject line.

Ruth, it has been a pleasure having you with us today. We look forward to reading your books and your upcoming works.

Thank you for this opportunity. I’ve enjoyed this very much.

Interviewed by: Linda L