Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi,
I’m a million-copy New York Times and Amazon bestselling author and a Romantic Times award winner for “best contemporary.” My “emotional,” “entertaining” books have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club. The titles are DECADES, HUSBANDS AND LOVERS (a million-copy NYT bestseller), LOVE AND MONEY, MODERN WOMEN (also a million-copy NYT bestseller) and THE LAST ROMANTICS. I’ve written a love story called ZURI which is set in an African animal orphanage and a romantic comedy/thriller called THE CHANEL CAPER which answers two of the most important questions of our time: 1) Is sixty the new forty? 2) Is there sex after marriage?
I write about strong, savvy, witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, find something even better along the way. Professional critics have compared me to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called my books “brilliant,” “steamy,” “stylishly written,” “richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”
With my husband, Michael, I indulge my wild side and write bestselling thrillers (Hooked and Brainwashed) with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Publisher’s Weekly called our thrillers “Slick and sexy with all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story.” Readers have raved, calling our thrillers “awesome,” “gripping,” “chilling,” “a must-read,” and “a real page-turner.”
My Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories–some funny, some sad, some touching–and told them with great style. My Dad loved words, word play and language and he is remembered by those who knew him as “always reading.” As a girl, I wanted to be a professional ice skater. In my teens, I wanted to be a lawyer–a summer job in a law office cured me! After college, I got a beginner’s job in publishing and my career path–first as an editor and then as a writer–was set.
Call Me Maybe but reach me definitely at harris.ruth.c@gmail.com. I love hearing from my readers!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For a long time I’ve wanted to write about a long-term relationship and about the way romance can wax and wane, evolve and transform over time. In THE CHANEL CAPER, Blake Weston and her DH, Brooklyn boy and ex-NYPD cop Ralph Marino, have been through it all–the break ups and makeups, the squabbles, the spats and the stand-offs. Even so, after twenty-six years of living together (and sometimes driving each other crazy), they are still holding hands in the movies. And they still have the hots for each other!
A second element that went into creating THE CHANEL CAPER was that as my friends and I approached sixty, I realized that 60 isn’t what it used to be (and maybe never was). Maybe 60 is–or isn’t–the new 40 but attitudes toward age and aging have been transformed by medical advances, new discoveries about the importance of nutrition and exercise and Baby Boomers’ determination to stay on top of their game.
Throw into the mix the fact that I’m a news junkie and love to write about the social and cultural atmosphere of the time in which a book is set. THE CHANEL CAPER takes place in the fall of 2008 when the global financial system faced collapse. From Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff to bankers in five thousand dollar suits flying their private jets to Washington to scrounge for money, the financial crisis of 2008 was a richly ironic background for my story of murder and suspense.
Other characters in the story were inspired by headlines, news stories & current events:
* a washed-up Martha Stewart wannabe trying to make a come back with the help of a red balconette bra
* a one-eyed, one-legged Afghan warlord who doesn’t speak a word of English
* an über neurotic, germ-ophobic billionaire freaking out as the stock market plummets and his net worth goes down–and down
* a flack-jacket-wearing gung-ho war zone reporter with a humongo pair of 36 DoubleD’s
* NYC’s ubiquitous sidewalk vendors of faux designer label bags, sunglasses and scarves
* the city’s vast selection of ethnic restaurants and foods.
* news reports about the deadly consequences of counterfeit drugs
* the rise of the Chinese economy and the glam and glittering city of Shanghai
* trendy gurus and hot self-help fads
Add in Bollywood movies, the world’s best shade of red lipstick and one drop-dead fantastic way to deal with a cheating husband (+ a dick joke) and you have an idea of some of the ingredients that went into THE CHANEL CAPER. I had lots of fun writing it. I hope you have lots of fun reading it!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Absolutely none! I worked in NY publishing for decades and knew lots and lots of professional writers and lots and lots about their working habits and routines. The bottom line is that there is really only ONE way to write a book. Specifically, butt to chair, hands on keyboard. So that’s how I work. Just like everyone else. 🙂
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I cover the waterfront: Everything from Mickey Spillane to Isaak Dinesen.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a comic novel called HUSBAND TRAINING SCHOOL. It’s about three hopeless husbands who need to be shaped up and whose fed-up wives send them to HTS for a week’s training.
The HTS concept originated with Robin Aguirre, forty-something, five-six, 145 pounds of power-packed muscle, current marital status negative. She is brown-eyed, olive-complectioned and wears her auburn hair in a flat-top buzz cut.
An embittered survivor of two divorces, Robin thrived in the US Marine Corps where she learned—the Marine way—how to train men, how to break them down and how to build them back up.
Robin’s sister, Melodie, also twice-divorced and an accountant by profession, runs the business side of HTS.
HTS is famous for its ads: Ladies, is your husband driving you crazy? Give us two weeks and we’ll give you a husband you can live with.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
BookBub and Ereader News Today have very successfully promoted my work.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As I said before: butt to chair, hands on keyboard.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Think Different.
What are you reading now?
A Michael Connolly book called The Scarecrow.
What’s next for you as a writer?
A trilogy. Women’s fiction. Maybe a bit retro.
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?
I’d take an e-reader absolutely loaded with books of all kinds, in all sorts of genres. Then, when I’m rescued, the first thing I’ll do is reload.
Author Websites and Profiles
Ruth Harris Website
Ruth Harris Amazon Profile
Ruth Harris’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
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