Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

  • 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… Read more

  • 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?… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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.)… Read more

  • 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,… Read more

  • 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,… Read more

  • Writing Inspiration Destination: Santorini, Greece

    (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 3 of the series.)… Read more

Welcome to Susan’s Monthly Blog!

On the first Friday of every month, Susan writes a short post about our books, the craft of writing, upcoming projects, travel, writing inspiration, and similar topics that strike her fancy. We hope you enjoy reading them.

Feel free to leave a comment. Susan loves hearing from readers!