Welcome Guest Author Ruth A. Casie

STEPH: I don't know much about Knight of Runes. What can you tell us about?

RUTH: The story is set in England in 1605. When Lord Arik, a druid knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without protection, he swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style, he’s intrigued.

Rebeka is no ordinary seventeenth-century woman—she’s travelled back from the year 2011, and she desperately wants to return home. She poses as a scholar sent by the king to find out what’s killing Arik’s land. But as she works to decode the ancient runes that are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home, she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.

As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in Arik’s household schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid with a grudge prepares his revenge. To defeat him, Arik and Rebeka must combine their skills. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.

STEPH: How long did it take to write?

RUTH: I started writing the story April, 2009 and finished it four months later in August.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research?

RUTH: It seems every step of the way I had something to research. My heroine, Rebeka Tyler, is a renowned renaissance scholar and a martial arts expert. I researched graduate programs at Cornell, Columbia, and in the UK as well as martial arts fighting techniques to write the fight scenes. I took classes on how to write fight scenes.

I researched druid practices, runes, the renaissance, and the societal attitudes of the time period. Lord Arik is more than the 'lord of the manor.' I needed to do some research on farming and harvesting as well as military training.

STEPH: Tell us how you build your characters? Do you write character bios? Cast the characters?

RUTH: I hadn't realized it at first but the characters have been brewing in my mind for some time. As I started to write they came to life on the page. I try to put myself in their place and see what they see in order to describe the setting and see/feel their movements. It was really funny when I realized that Arik raise his eyebrow at me and said "Really, you think I would say that?" I rewrote the scene.


STEPH: Are you a plotter or a panster?

RUTH: I'm a plotser, a cross between the two. I do outline the overall story but not in any detail. That said, there are times when I veer off the path and have to adjust the outline. Sometimes it seems that the story writes itself.

STEPH: What attracted you to writing a story with time traveling elements in it?

RUTH: The challenges of different attitudes across the centuries intrigued me. What skills would my heroine need? How would she interact with people? Would she be accepted? How would she deal with leadership? What skills would she need to acquire. Arik has his challenges in dealing with a woman who has very different attitudes about her place in his society. How would he deal with her? Working on these issues and bringing them out in a realistic way was both challenging and gratifying.

STEPH: What do you want your readers to take away with them after reading the story?

RUTH: I want my readers feel that they were entertained and for a few hours believe they are there with Rebeka and Arik. It would be great if they wanted to read my next book. I think all romance readers want to escape to a world where HEA is possible. I think my story has real life lessons - with trust and love you can find romance and sometimes that means mutual compromise and acceptance.

STEPH: Any words of advice or encouragement for aspiring authors?

RUTH: Write from your heart. Don't be discouraged by rejections (personally I call them passes). Join a writing group. The support of other writers is essential. Study your craft. Keep reading and writing. The best way to improve is by doing it.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

RUTH: I have a Sony eReader. I also have the Kindle and Nook app on my cell phone and find that I use that a great deal. Although if Kindle ever gets the autograph app working I may just buy one.

STEPH: Tell us a little about the state/country you live in.

RUTH: I live in Teaneck, New Jersey about 20 minutes away from midtown New York. Teaneck is in north Jersey not far from the many malls in Paramus. Teaneck is known for its great parks and trees. It has a suburban atmosphere with the bustle of NYC not far away. New Jersey is famous for our wonderful shore area as well as Atlantic City. New Jersey, is the home of the NY Jets and Giants (go figure!), Snooki, and the Sopranos while Hoboken lays claim to Frank Sinatra.
#11. Where can we find you on the web? Twitter? Facebook?
You can find me on the web at www.RuthACasie.com, on twitter at www. Twitter.com/RuthACasie, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Ruth-A-Casie/205962547885.

GIVEAWAY: Win a free copy of Ruth’s debut novel, Knight of Runes (epub or pdf format) by leaving a comment with your email address. One person will be randomly selected on November 20.

Knight of Runes
It’s the 21st century and time travel is still a Wellsian fantasy but not for Rebeka Tyler. While on an impromptu tour of Avebury, she takes a misstep at the standing stones, and finds herself in the right place but tossed back into the 17th century. When Lord Arik, a druid knight, finds Rebeka wandering his lands without protection, he swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style he is intrigued.

Rebeka is desparate to return to her time. She poses as a scholar sent by the king to help find out what’s killing Arik’s land to get access to the library. But as she decodes the ancient runes that are the key to solving his mystery and sending her home, she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.

As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in Arik’s household schemes to keep them apart and a dark druid with a grudge prepares his revenge. To defeat him, Arik and Rebeka must combine their skills. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.

Ruth’s Bio
Ruth A. Casie was born in Brooklyn, New York. For twenty-five years she’s been writing for corporate America. Encouraged by her family and friends this ballroom dancing, Sudoku playing, aspiring gourmet cook has given way to her inner muse. She’s let her creative juices flow and started writing a series of historical time travel romance stories. She hopes her stories become your favorite adventures.