Interview with Amber West, author of The Ruth Valley Missing
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Tell us about The Ruth Valley Missing The Ruth Valley Missing is a mystery, set mostly in a very small, close-knit town of avid churchgoers. It’s the result of a weird dream that I thought it would be fun to turn into a story. The heroine is something I’ve been missing in a lot of books – she’s strong without being cold, smart without being a know-it-all. She doesn’t define herself through her relationship status, but she isn’t anti-romance either. Here’s the gist: Jameson Quinn is sick of trying to find herself in the big city. After a gallery opening ends in a trip to the ER and an argument with her self-involved boyfriend, she decides to take off for the peace and quiet of a small town — Ruth Valley. The small town has everything Brooklyn lacked: simple people, peaceful surroundings, and a feeling of safety. Jameson even finds the perfect house to rent from the town’s most eligible bachelor, Sheriff Jack. Life is finally headed in a promising direction. But something isn’t right. A young man is mysteriously injured, then disappears — and Jameson finds he isn’t the only person to suddenly vanish. The suspicious behavior of an abrasive nun and a creepy priest set her off on an investigation of what’s really happening. Will she figure out the secrets of Ruth Valley before she’s the next to go missing? What genre is it? Mystery/Suspense. What kind of readers will it appeal to? I purposely wrote this novel on the shorter side, as novels go. Sometimes you want a good, entertaining read, but don’t have time to get sucked in to something epic – this book fills that need. It’s the book you take on a flight or to the beach. Even younger readers (teens) have been enjoying this book! Complete this sentence for us: If you like __________, then you’ll love The Ruth Valley Missing. Oh, I’m terrible at making comparisons to other books, so I’d just say if you love humor mixed with mystery, you’ll love The Ruth Valley Missing. Tell us a bit more about Jameson Quinn. You say she stands out as a heroine. How?
Jameson finds herself in a situation that she could easily choose to walk away from, yet she stays in order to make a difference. She is kind of an unintentional heroine, which I love, since I think people walk away from opportunities to be a hero in some way all the time.
I also think she stands out because she can be tough and self-reliant, but that doesn’t mean she’s hard. I feel like a lot of strong female characters end up losing that softness – they’re almost mean – but Jameson retains her kindness.
We like her already. How long did the book take to write?
Actual writing? About two months. I know, that sounds horrible. But when an idea hits me, the words just come out. Edits took another month, then critiques, then post-crit edits…probably another month with all of that.
And what was the most challenging part of the whole thing?
The hardest part? Believing that my work was for more than just me. That others would read and enjoy my work. There’s something really scary about putting your work out there. It’s so part of you, the thought of rejection or negative reviews can keep you from pressing forward.
We totally understand that. How long have you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to write all my life. I had my first published work in fifth grade, but I never pursued it. My practical side always left writing as something I did for personal entertainment, or the occasional entertaining friends, not as anything more. I lost my job a few years back, just after giving birth to my son. I was busy being a mom, but found time I had, so I went back to writing, but this time I got involved in online writing communities. Other writers, writers I respected, encouraged me to get my work out there, so I did.
On a less writerly note, I’m the middle child of five very intelligent and entertaining kids. If you wonder where all the self doubt comes from, that’s where.
Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
A Day Without Sushi. I blog about everything, not just my writing, so all readers should feel welcome.
You’ve got an interactive story on your blog, don’t you? Tell us about it. And what’s the most left field reader suggestion you’ve received?
As a fun exercise, I decided to start a serial on my site. I was inspired by another indie author, Jen Kirchner, who did a Vote Your Own Adventure series on her blog.
Mine was less about voting, and more about letting the readers recommend all sorts of ideas at the end of each instalment. Sometimes they were given a choice, sometimes they had to give me words – Mad Lib style – and other times they could just tell me what they wanted to see happen next.
Some ideas were super creative, and some of the tougher ones were the ones I chose, for the challenge of making them fit in the story.
Most left field suggestion? I don’t know if any of them were ever super left field. There was one early in the series where readers had to come up with the main characters job and one of the readers submitted this:
For someone else, this may not have been left field, but it was definitely out of my wheelhouse.
Where can we buy The Ruth Valley Missing?
Right now, I’m exclusive with Amazon (US, UK). My book is available for Kindle and paperback, and I’ll be offering signed copies via my blog soon.
What’s next?
The book was supposed to be a standalone, but the readers are telling me they want more, so who am I to deny them? I’m currently working on the sequel, and have tentative plans for a third book in the series as well.
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Love this interview! And I loved the book — so glad to hear there’s a (two!!) sequel(s) in the works!
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