Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

Author: susanandjohnruff

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Salisbury, England

    (This is part 9 of the series describing places that have influenced my writing.) If you’ve been following my blog for a while. I can guess what you are already thinking: she co-authors fantasy novels and she loves archaeology. Guess what her writing inspiration from the area around Salisbury, England…

  • Deviating from a Book Outline

    It’s always interesting to hear from other writers about the methods they use to draft their novels. Many authors outline carefully and extensively, while others simply start writing and see where the story goes. I’ve heard about some who don’t use a formal outline, but still develop some type of…

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Hawaii’s Big Island

    (This is part 8 of the series describing places that have influenced my writing.) Where does an author of medieval-ish (emphasis on the “ish”) high fantasy novels find inspiration in a tropical paradise like Hawaii? Not necessarily where you would expect. Yes, Hawaii is everything it promises in all those…

  • What’s New at Emerald Cove in Fall 2021?

    It’s been a while since I provided an update about our Emerald Cove Press projects, so this seems like a good time. The Emerald Cove writer’s group met at our favorite Denny’s last Friday. It’s great to be back to live meetings again. We had a long discussion about the…

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Rhodes, Greece

    (This is part 7 of the series describing places that have influenced my writing.) Few places in the world shout, “fantasy novel setting” more than the Island of Rhodes. The crenelated barbicans and towers rise over the buildings around them in a classic, story-book-castle style. The shoreline boasts magnificent sea…

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Venice, Italy

    (This is part 6 of the series describing places that have influenced my writing.) In June, I wrote a blog post entitled “Five Places to Inspire Writing.” In that post, I briefly mentioned Venice as an inspirational city. After I gave the matter more thought, I decided that Venice really…

  • Killing Characters in Novels: Red Shirts or Dead Ponies?

    Many years ago, I read a short story in school about a kid and his favorite pony. Bad stuff happens to the pony and the kid goes through herculean efforts trying to save it. In the end, the pony dies and the story was very depressing. I think it may…

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Granada, Spain

    (Note: as mentioned in an earlier blog post, one of my friends suggested that I write about some travel destinations that had a direct influence on my writing. This is part 5 of the series.) Have you ever wanted to visit a place because of a song? Recuerdos de la…

  • Time for a Second Edition

    If you are an Indy author who just published your latest book, should you consider a second edition of your original novel to clean up the formatting problems with the first edition? In my case, the answer to that question is easy: Yes. John and I are currently finalizing a…

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Balboa Park

    Sometimes, you don’t need to go any farther than your own hometown for writing inspiration. This becomes much easier, of course, when your hometown happens to be a major tourist destination with beaches, parks, culture, museums, and other fascinating places to visit. I grew up in San Diego County, and…