Interview With Author Leonard Ruhl
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born on the North Pole. It went south from there: lawyer, judge, coach, writer, and father of two teenagers whose pronouns might as well be Will-Empty-Wallet and Chatterbox. Okay, I wasn’t born on the North Pole, but I do love Dad Jokes, so please forgive me. I was actually born in Kansas, and I take my writing and my day job very seriously. Except for that one incident when a secret service agent ditched me at an E.R. with a blown Achilles tendon, I’ve never missed court and am reliable as death and taxes, and twice as entertaining. Bailing Out is my third novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bailing Out is my latest novel and it was inspired by the true story of a man I prosecuted who escaped from the Sedgewick County Jail (circa 2006) in much the same manner as the main character in the book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write naked because it makes me feel more honest and vulnerable. Just kidding. It doesn’t make me feel vulnerable.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Rob Leininger, Dennis Lehane, James Sallis, Cormac McCarthy, and James Lee Burke to name a few.
What are you working on now?
I’m pretty beat from writing Bailing Out and keeping up with my day job. I’m in promotion mode. Also, sleep mode. Some golfing. Did I mention I have two teenagers and a beautiful wife?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My promotion methods are a work in progress. I promote like I make spaghetti. I throw it against the wall, see if it sticks and my wife gets mad at me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Each scene needs pov, conflict, and the fictional world you’ve created must change in some significant way with each scene. Fail to do that, and your book will lose steam and bore the reader into doom scrolling on their phone.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay focused and positive and remember that stabbing people is wrong. (Fictional stabbings can be cool though.)
What are you reading now?
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m looking for an idea for my next novel. And then I write.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Blood Meridian, and Surviving Deserted Islands for Dummies.
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