Release Day Author Spotlight: Ruby Lang
November 11, 2019
Hey Folks!👋
It’ssssss Monday! Brand new week, brand new feature. Hard to believe we’re in the 46th week of the year. Before I kick off this spotlight, I want to acknowledge those currently serving in our military, those who have previously served, and those who risked their lives protecting our freedoms. The guy in the White House may not show you the respect and appreciation you deserve, but I do. Thank you for your service. Happy Veterans Day!
With that said, I’ve been MIA on social media because uh… it’s NaNoWriMo! I haven’t been logging into the site religiously as I should, but listen, I don’t care about daily word counts. I want this project D-O-N-E by the time Nov 30th rolls around. But enough about me let’s talk about an author who met her writing goals and has a brand new release out today, Ruby Lang. If you don’t follow Ruby on Twitter, you should. She is hilarious. She’s one of few authors who can make me laugh out loud with her tweets. Keep reading and get to know a little more about this charming lady!
Take it away, Ruby…
I always find author interviews kind of boring. We only get to see one side of an author, the polite side. If you had an evil doppelganger, what detail about you would they enjoy revealing to the public that people would find surprising and possibly questionable?
Ruby acts like a Goody-Two-Shoes, but she has unpaid library fines, no skincare routine to speak of, and is a little shaky on the geography of the United States of America, a country she’s lived in for, like, 20 years.
What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is unsnap my carpal tunnel wrist braces, and with my arms free FREEEE to do anything they please, I spread my wings and… brush my teeth and make tea and stare blearily at objects in my kitchen.
Name a book that changed your life.
I read Middlemarch by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) in my second year at university, and this passage from the book has stayed with me:
“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
This what I love about Middlemarch. It’s a story about those very ordinary, unhistoric people getting on with their lives, being scared, worrying about money, falling in love, and changing their part of the world.
In the last week, what made you feel challenged, and what made you smile?
I’m having the worst writer’s block, and release week is here. Nothing makes me feel more like an imposter than not being able to put one word after another during release week.
My daughter started a petition at her school to ban the use of whistles at recess. She’s presenting at assembly, and she told me, “I have to draft a solution! And type it! And pick a font!”
Pick a font! I died.
Name a song that helps you relax at the end of a long and stressful day.
I love Lizzo’s “Juice.” It’s taken me through summer, and it’s probably going to make my decade.
Tell me about a small change you have made in your life to improve your focus. What did you do, how long did it take until it became effective, and how you sustain this habit?
Change is good, and I hate it.
I have to switch up my writing routines every couple of months. So last year, I started working in the library instead of at my desk at home. I produced two of my Carina books that way (Open House and House Rules). More recently, I tried drafting in Comic Sans. (It’s very legible!) I slogged through half a draft. But then I got stuck, and I’m now reduced to writing longhand in parent waiting rooms while my kid does her kid things. By next year, I’ll probably have to tap everything out in Morse code while traveling on the B17 bus.
So yeah, my conclusion is that any change itself works (for me, for a short while), and it’s terrible.
What’s more important to you: prose or story?
As a reader, if someone’s voice doesn’t work for me, I often won’t be able to get into the story. I’ll read the book equivalent of a long thirst tweet if the voice is right.
The Voice is Right sounds like a nightmare reality game show, by the way.
Would you rather travel to space or visit the bottom of the ocean?
Am I a person who wants to plumb the depths or float far away into the cold, unknown void? Honestly, both sound terrifying, although at least the bottom of the ocean has phosphorescent sea creatures. So, I guess it’s the bottom of the ocean floor for me. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.
Finish this sentence: In a new Disney Channel original, Hannah Montana struggles with ____________.
Trying Not to be a Problematic Douche.
In your opinion, what does it mean to be good in bed?
For me, it’s enthusiasm and a sense of fun. Look, it’s cool if you want to look deep into someone’s eyes and do breathing that sounds like Lamaze or whatever in order sustain the act for several days–that’s great as long as your partner or partners are A-OK with your Olympic feats. Technique is awesome, but it can be learned! Attitude is harder to fake and ultimately can make one’s partner feel more important and cared for!
**Bonus Question**
Ever tried BDSM? If not, would you?
B-eing a
D-etective
S-olving
M-urders?
Sounds great!
*LOL, Ruby is a mess!* 😂
Bio:
Ruby Lang is the author of the acclaimed Practice Perfect series. Her alter ego, Mindy Hung, wrote about romance novels (among other things) for The Toast. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Bitch, and other fine venues. She enjoys running (slowly), reading (quickly), and ice cream (at any speed). She lives in New York with a small child and a medium-sized husband.
Social Media:
Books:
Activate your one-click finger by purchasing Ruby’s latest release, Open House, Book 2 in her Uptown series!
