AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: USA Today Best-Selling Author Jenifer Ruff – Brett Nelson

6/24/22 by Brett Nelson

Thank you for swinging over to my website and checking out my June 2022 Author Spotlight. As I write this, it is June, raining, and in the mid 70’s while a few days ago it was in the mid 90s. When you live in the south you just don’t know what you’ll get when it comes to the weather. I’m sure I’m in the minority when I say that I’ve been over the summer heat from the first day it started. I despise heat and humidity and allergies and shorts and flip flops, and…well, you get the picture.

I’d like to say that June has been an eventless month so far, but my dad fell, broke his hip, and had to have a partial hip replacement. He is two weeks postop and has just begun the arduous chore of rehabilitation. He has a long road ahead of him for the next few weeks while he’s in rehab, so if you have a few prayers to send our way for him, we’d appreciate it. Once he’s done in rehab and back living at home, please divert all your prayers to my mother, because she’ll need extra prayers to have the patience to deal with an ailing and recuperating man. Just kidding. They are both good sports and we all will do whatever it takes to help get him back to where he needs to be.

As for my writing, I’ve completed my fifth book and am in the process of doing my initial edits before I send them off to professional editors. Then comes the fun part…working with my book cover designer to come up with fun and interesting concepts for the cover. For me, seeing the initial book covers for the first time is like Christmas morning. Plus, my designer is great, so the three options she gives always makes for a very difficult decision. The first glimpses of the covers make the story come alive in a tangible way because until then it has only been alive in my imagination.

I’m excited for book five to come out because it’s a bit different from my usual romance-type tropes. Most experts tell authors to pick a genre and stay in it, which is good advice, I suppose. But I’m relatively early in my writing career and don’t yet have the large following I hope to have one day, so I think I can genre hop and see how my books perform in other genres. Hopefully soon I’ll find my stride and the band of loyal followers that every author dreams of.

I’m not sure yet when book five will publish. I generally shoot for a spring release, but my goal is to publish book five in time for the 2022 holiday season. I’m also in various states of completion on two other novels. One is a sequel to “When Raindrops Fall.” The other is my first attempt at a mystery/thriller. I also have two other books completed, but I haven’t decided how well I like them, so no immediate plans to do anything with them as of yet.

In the past, I’ve written really long books, so my goal after book four was to focus on writing shorter books (in the neighborhood of 70,000 – 80,000 words; my previous books range from 100,000 to 140,000 words). My reasoning is that if I write shorter books that are still within the industry standard for the genres I write, then I should be able to publish two books per year instead of my usual one.

I’ll use my mystery/thriller book (I’m over 10,000 words into it already, so I’m at a great start with it) to segue into my guest on today’s AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT.

Jenifer Ruff is a USA Today best-selling author as well as an Amazon best-selling author. She writes mystery/suspense and medical thrillers. Her series books include: the Agent Victoria Heslin series, the Brook Walton Series, and the FBI & CDC thriller series.

She lives in North Carolina, enjoys hiking, and is a fitness enthusiast.

Her book PRETTY LITTLE GIRLS won the Reader’s Favorite International Book Aware in Thriller Fiction in 2019. To date, she has thirteen published novels.

Brett: Jenifer—Thank you for being a guest on my AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT blog! I always like to begin our interview by going back a little in time. As a child, were you an avid reader? If so, what childhood books formed your love for reading?

Jenifer: I was definitely an avid reader growing up. One of those kids who perpetually had a book open. My father was the director of a library. There was always a new stack of books around my house for me to read. My parents loved gifting me with first editions of special books. I gravitated to mysteries and thrillers, starting back as far as I can remember.

Brett: Tell us about the first time you tried writing. Was a novel your first attempt, or did you start smaller and work your way up to full-length novels?

Jenifer: My first written and published work was my graduate school thesis-a case study on joint commission accreditation for managed health care organizations—just as boring as it sounds. I only finished because I had to, and it was sheer determination to write and rewrite and edit that thing. But what I remember most is that once finished, seeing it bound in leather, I had this fantastic sense of accomplishment, as in, wow, I actually wrote that. My goal then was to write something innovative (in the managed care world), not to entertain. Now my goal is to write intriguing mystery-thrillers readers can’t put down.

Brett: Putting a novel into the world, especially for the first time, can be intimidating. Tell us about the first novel you ever published. How did it feel to realize your first attempt at writing was out there for anyone in the world to pick up and read?

Jenifer: Great question. I vividly remember the day my first book became available to the public. I remember the sick-to-my-stomach, terrifying feeling that came with it. A very different experience than when I publish today. Here’s why—now I have a critique group, author friends who beta read, and a whole ARC team to give me feedback before I publish. All those eyes on my book help strengthen it and help me gauge my readers’ experience. With my first novel, Everett, I was working with a small publisher. Only the publisher and my editor had read the book before it went out into the world. It wasn’t until publication day that it hit me—what have I done? I started second-guessing scenes from the book, specifically the really dark, murderous ones, and all I could think was…Oh, no! Did I really put this out there for anyone to read? I didn’t know what people were going to think, and I worried people who knew me would never look at me the same again. And probably they don’t…LOL.

Brett: As an established author, I know you’ve probably had your fair share of difficulties to navigate over the years. Could you share with us some of the obstacles you’ve faced in your journey to becoming a best-selling author?

Jenifer: My author stress comes from marketing or publishing issues. One incident stands out above the others. Over the course of a few weeks, one of my ebook distributors delivered the wrong digital book file to about 300 people. I discovered that when bad reviews started coming in: “this wasn’t the book I ordered.” The distributor can “push out” an updated file to everyone who ever bought or downloaded the book. They did that for me almost immediately. Unfortunately, they sent out the wrong file again, making the matter much worse because the second time, over 60k people got their copy of Everett replaced with my newest release. It took weeks and dozens of phone calls to fix the issue, with me starting at the beginning and explaining everything each time. I was super stressed about the comments coming in through my website but was helpless to fix the problem myself. Writing about it now, of course I know there are far, far worse things that could happen, but still, I think the ordeal took a few months off my life.

Brett: Let’s talk about something that most authors don’t want to talk about: BAD REVIEWS. As you know, no matter how famous and well-regarded an author is, none are immune from bad reviews. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has over two hundred one-star reviews, which is minor in the grand scheme of the tens of thousands of five-star reviews. Still, bad reviews are painful to an author. How did you react to your very first bad reviews early in your career? How do you handle them now that you’re a more established and well-known author with a following? Do you “sneak a peek” at your reviews on occasion or do you just ignore them?

Jenifer: I don’t let reviews bother me much because no author can make every reader happy. I do sneak a peek at them occasionally, as you said, particularly if I get a negative one. I hold my breath, bracing myself for a blow before reading each one. A few make me laugh out loud because it’s amazing how mean and grumpy some people can be. One review that will always stick with me was written by a person who did not read my book, which is pretty much the worst and happens to all authors. She called it propaganda and claimed my message was entirely the opposite of what I intended. The best course of action is to ignore reviews like that and hope no one sees or believes them, but that can be challenging sometimes. That review is a few years old, and I cannot seem to erase it from my mind.

Brett: I’d also like to ask you about your book When They Find Us, which was the first book of yours that I ever read (it’s also an Amazon Best-Selling book). I love books about catastrophes, natural disasters, and the-world’s-going-to-end-if someone-doesn’t-save-the-day type books. I think I saw this book for the first time on one of the many discount ebook sites that I subscribe to and promote my books on as well. That it was a novel about a plane crash instantly drew me, so I had to read it. Tell us your inspiration for writing a novel on this subject and the research you had to perform.

Jenifer: I do a lot of research for all my books, usually medical, but I did a colossal amount to write When They Find Us. The only commercial flight that has ever “disappeared” in modern history is Malaysian Flight 370, so I read everything I could about that crash and the surrounding theories, as well as reading about every plane crash and rescue operation that occurred within the last thirty or so years. I studied the changes made to commercial jets post 9-11 and how those engineering advances could advance my story. I also did lots of research on the climate in Greenland. I consulted several Air Force pilots and commercial pilots and sent chapters back and forth to them. They were incredibly helpful, enabling me to get the pilot and control tower lingo accurate, or at least much closer to realistic than it otherwise would be. I had a lot to learn to write that novel!

Brett: This is a nearly impossible question to ask an author because our books are our blood, sweat, and tears, so forgive me in advance. Of all the books you’ve written, can you tell us the favorites you’ve written, and why?

Jenifer: When They Find Us was probably my favorite to write. I absolutely love books and movies with scenarios that test a character’s mental and physical limits and push them to the edge, where they are very afraid and must be courageous despite that fear. It’s those moments that reveal the best and the worst in our characters. So that’s what I tried to create with When They Find Us and readers seem to really enjoy it.

I have so much fun writing the Brooke Walton books. Brooke is the protagonist and also my darkest, most disturbing and ambitious character. A true psychopath. Getting inside her head to write those books is fascinating and chilling, particularly when other characters get in the way of what she wants to achieve. The Intern is the third book in that series. I knew Brooke really well by then and she seemed to write that story for me.

Brett: The Groom Went Missing is your most recent release in the Victoria Heslin Series. Tell us a bit about that book.

Jenifer: The title states the central question, and here’s the hook: “Everything is in place for a lavish wedding, except the groom. Second thoughts…or something more sinister?” I want readers glued to the pages trying to piece the subtle clues together, along with my FBI agent Victoria, and enjoying the journey of figuring it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Groom-Missing-Agent-Victoria-Heslin-ebook/dp/B09M643686

Brett: About how long does it take you to write one novel?

Jenifer: I’ve been publishing two books a year for several years now, so it must take me about six months to write a novel. It’s hard to know for sure because sometimes a novel is finished but set aside for months because I’m waiting on editing or the audio narration. I work on my current manuscript five days a week, but only manage to write or rewrite for a few hours at most. The rest of the workday is related to marketing and publishing tasks and updates, checking sales channels, something I do way too often, as well as checking email, Facebook ads, and my Apple news feed, throwing in a load of laundry, etc. One of my goals is to do a much better job with focused writing time.

Brett: Writing a novel is something that we authors grow into and perfect the more we write. Think back to the very first book you wrote, then to the last book you wrote. Tell us something you didn’t know about writing in the beginning that has become valuable knowledge to you and has made you a better writer thirteen novels later.

Jenifer: There is so much I didn’t know when I started, and I’m sure there is still so much I have yet to learn. The learning process probably never ends, which is good. One thing about finalizing a manuscript that blows my mind is how challenging it is (for me at least) to get rid of all the tiny errors. I do a lot of rewriting and editing, which introduces all those little errors. I have many sets of eyes to help me get rid of them: a critique group for draft chapters, Prowriter, an editor, beta readers, several proofreaders, ARC readers, and I have Microsoft word read my manuscript to me at least once (a VERY tedious process listening to it in a monotone voice.) And still, tiny errors persist—a missing end quote here, a typo there—hiding in plain sight. So, anyone who thinks a book can be error free after one proof is either delusional or has an incredible gift that I will never, ever have.

Brett: Think back over all the books you’ve written. You’ve created many characters. Which would you not get along with in real life? Which one would be a friend you’d most like to have?

Jenifer: The friend question is an easy one to answer. Victoria Heslin, an FBI special agent. She and I are both introverts (not shy but need alone time to recharge) who are crazy about animals. Like me, she likes nothing more than a long hike in the cool mountains with her dogs. She’s survived some harrowing investigations because of her own strength and grit, and I greatly admire her courage. She’s also generous with her wealth. I would love to be her close friend in real life. Hopefully she’d invite me to one of her family’s houses with giant fenced yards and we could sit on her back patio in the shade while our greyhounds raced around together. I’d happily stay in her guest wing and take care of her animals while she’s away working an investigation.

Brett: When you start writing a book, do you always know the title before you begin writing? Or have there been times when the title didn’t emerge until later in the writing process?

Jenifer: I start with a mystery plot line and the title comes much, much later. As I write, I come up with possible titles and place them at the top of my manuscript. I look at them almost daily, adding new ones, eliminating others, hoping one will evolve or eventually emerge as the clear winner. If that doesn’t happen, I solicit ideas on my Facebook pages.

The only time I came up with a title from the very beginning was with Only Wrong Once, the first book in the FBI & CDC medical thriller series. I got the idea from a speech Condoleeza Rice gave to the 911 Commission. She said, “To inflict devastation on a massive scale, the terrorists only have to succeed once. And we know that they are trying every day.” In Only Wrong Once, because of one missed step in the Department of Homeland Security, the terrorists succeed, introducing a lethal virus and pushing the U.S. toward a national epidemic. I should point out that Only Wrong Once was written a few years before Covid-19 emerged. Anyway, that is my most clever, poignant title and I love it.

Brett: After completing a novel how long does it take before you launch into the next one?

Jenifer: Before I finish a novel, I’ve got the next one somewhat outlined at least in concept, so I can dive into it right away. I’m usually working on the new one while the last one is being edited. I guess I’ve been doing this long enough now that I would feel a little lost without a novel in progress.

Brett: If I were to drive to your home and have dinner with the Ruff family, what would be on the menu?

Jenifer: This is a funny question for me. I don’t think you will ever meet anyone who has less interest in preparing food. I mostly make salads. And cooking for me is grilled cheese. I only use our ovens to heat frozen pizzas from Trader Joe’s. However…like FBI Agent Victoria Heslin in my Victoria series, I have a pack of greyhounds and I do cook for them, and I’m so good at it! Several times a week, I have two crock pots going. The primary ingredients are lean turkey or lean ground beef with organic meats. I add oatmeal or quinoa or brown rice, and then lots of different vegetables and beans and flax and chia and just about everything you can imagine that is super healthy. The best part is that they act like every meal is the best meal on the planet, no matter what, so it’s worth all the trouble. If we ate like my dogs, exactly what we needed and nothing we didn’t, I promise we would all feel like a million bucks.

Brett: What’s your favorite hobby/activity for the rare occasions you’re not writing?

Jenifer: Hiking, barre classes, any form of exercise. I’ve loved working out for my entire life and not a day goes by without me doing some form of movement that makes me at least a little tired and sweaty.

Brett: What’s your favorite format when you have time to sit down with a book (ebook, physical book, audiobook?)

Jenifer: Ebook! Before digital, I used to vacation with a suitcase filled with books—twenty or more pounds of novels to make sure I never ran out of reading material. I barely had room for my clothes. Ebooks have made my life so much easier. You need a book…you’ve instantly got one. And I like to listen to audiobooks when I clean, except then I never want to run the vacuum.

Brett: I know authors don’t like talking about their work before it’s completed but give us ONE word to best describe the novel you’re working on now.

Jenifer: I’m working on Vanished on Vacation, book 6 in the Agent Victoria Heslin series. These are standalone mystery thrillers featuring special agent Victoria. One word…I’m going to go with: courage.

Brett: Jenifer, thank you so much for being a guest on my AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Is there a date you can give us when your next novel will be published?

Jenifer: Thank you so much for having me! You ask interesting, thoughtful questions!

Book 5 in the Agent Victoria series, The Groom Went Missing, just released May 2^nd, 2022, and Vanished On Vacation, book 6 in that same series, is available for preorder now and releasing in October of 2022.