Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

Tag: fantasy novel

  • A Firm Foothold in Unreality

    Why write fantasy stories? For me, there is an easy answer and a deeper answer. The easy answer: writing them is fun. Ever since I first read the Hobbit when I was 12, I’ve loved reading and writing fantasy. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed books in other genres, such as…

  • Can a Book be too Timely?

    My new novel is a problem. It’s a fantasy novel. The first draft was pretty much finished by March, but it needs a major rewrite before it can see the light of day. I also need to do some historical research because one of the characters has a connection to…

  • When is an Hour Not an Hour?

    A large part of 60th Hour involves time. The driving force behind the narrative is the countdown to the calendar’s end. In addition, much of daily life in the Kingdom of Kenarin involves time or timekeeping. At some point during the worldbuilding for the story, the Kenarin day became 60…

  • How the Countdown Began

    “CHICHEN ITZA IN 2012 – THE END OF THE WORLDCON” That’s what the bid poster on the convention wall announced. The year was 1995, and John and I were on our honeymoon attending “Intersection,” the World Science Fiction Convention held in Glasgow, Scotland. What? You didn’t plan your wedding date…

  • When Lario Met Martha

    Lord Larrin’s Daughter was originally intended as a one-shot story, a light-hearted piece about medieval highwaymen kidnapping the wrong girl: Robinhood meets The Ransom of Red Chief with a little twist at the end. Even though John and I are primarily fantasy authors, it was not really a fantasy story.…

  • Here’s a Secret About 60th Hour

    The secret is: 60th Hour was not the original title of the book. The working title was “Final Night.” Because the main focus of the book involved the events leading up to the end of the calendar on Final Night and what happened to the main characters on that night,…