SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Ruth A. Casie!

Joining me today in The Loft is historical romance author Ruth A Casie. A USA Today bestselling author, Ruth writes adventures that take readers from the shores of medieval Scotland to the cobblestone streets of Regency London. Her stories embrace women who are strong and men who deserve them. Ruth is also one of five Timeless Scribes. They write short stories and publish them in a holiday and summer anthology.

Author Ruth A. Casie

S: Good morning, Ruth. Thanks for joining me in The Loft!

Is true romance--the wooing, courtship, passion, seduction, the little gestures of affection, etc.--dead?

R: I hope not. My world, my real one, is my family. Each of my grown children are either married or in relationships. They and their significant others treat one another respectfully and tenderly. They treat each other to surprises, treats, and acts of kindness. The outside world around me may be different, but I believe that it’s family values and actions that teach children what is expected and how to behave. For example, after a day of work and commuting into Manhattan, I cooked dinner. My husband, who commuted with me, did the dishes. Even now that we are both retired, I cook and he does the dishes. Our son went to Northeastern University in Boston. One Saturday afternoon, I got a call from the school. It was a student calling parents of student asking for donations. The young lady on the other end read her script. Out of nowhere she asked about my son. She was given a list of parents to call and when she noticed our name just had to call. I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or cautious. She said, "I just had to tell you. He is dating my roommate. We had him over for dinner this week and he wouldn’t let us do the dishes.” Okay. It could be a great pick-up line, but here it is, 15 years later and he still does the dishes after dinner, now for his wife.

S: What do people get wrong about writing romance?

R: At a recent gathering I heard words from men who I believed were progressive, educated, understanding. "You write soft porn. Where do you get your material?" One asked if I was happily married. They thought they were being cheeky. They thought they were being brash. They thought they were being funny. When in fact, they weren’t thinking at all. And rather than correct them, teach them, embarrass them, I said nothing. I smiled and ate a tasteless sandwich. That position isn’t unique to men. Women get it wrong. I’m a member of a women’s organization that prides itself with its progressive mindset. They have several book clubs for members. One woman suggested they read my book and was told no one reads those types of books. In a repressed environment, prior to the 18th century where women had no rights, women wrote stories from their heart, with dreams of independence and freedom. To quote Maya Rodale, “We are writing stories about women who triumph in a world that doesn’t want women to triumph.” It breaks away from the accepted norm of the era which is threatening to those in control and can be linked to the rise in the call for women’s rights. Romance stories take you on a journey as a woman of that any era, in any story where she finds fulfilment and a deserving happily ever after.

S: I was rather surprised at the comments I got when I first started writing romance. They revealed such a lack of tolerance and maturity about a subject that is really important to humanity--love. Why are men--and some women--so uncomfortable with it? Maybe the role of romance authors is to lift the curtain and reveal love in all shapes and forms.
If you were suddenly transported back to Victorian England as a member of the aristocracy, would you thrilled or appalled? Would you be willing to stay there permanently?

R: I hope a bit of both. Thrilled for the experience and appalled by the narrow-mindedness. Would I stay permanently? Only if I found people who would support a forward-thinking woman. I think I would wind up in a lot of trouble.

S: If women had started taking a stand back then, I imagine we would be living in a much different world now.

What do people get wrong about publishing a book?

R: People think you write a book and someone--and that someone could be you--publishes it. Each stage of the process has its own difficulties from story concept through story development, and editing to publishing. And it doesn’t stop there. Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, there is the marketing. Even if you’re traditionally published, a great deal of the marketing is left to the author. Self-published authors have to do it all.

S: The promotion aspect is time-consuming. If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

R: Yes, but I wouldn’t have waited so long. I loved my job at the bank and spent over 25 years there. However, the creativity and camaraderie I have found in the writing community has been wonderful. I find out more about myself with each book I write.

S: What is the best or worst thing that ever happened to you as a writer?

R: This is a hard question. There are so many wonderful things. Fangirl moments with Diana Gabaldon, Eloisa James, Nora Roberts. The first time a person recognized me and showed me my book on their Kindle and the first time I saw someone reading my book. But the best was a call that my story made the USA Today bestselling list.

S: What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

R: Write the next book. I remember I went to an RWA conference. My first book, "Knight of Runes" had been published eight weeks earlier by Carina Press. I went to the Carina Press gathering and Angela James asked when I was handing in my next book. I was dumbfounded. My response? “With all the red marks on my manuscript, I didn’t think you’d ever want another book from me.” She laughed and said, “If you’re as smart as I think you are, there won’t be as many red marks on the next one.”

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about The Ladies of Summer-by-the-Sea series?

R: Here's the blurb for the series--

Welcome to Sommer-by-the-Sea, a vibrant village nestled on the rugged northeast coast of England, 15 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Here, the world is centered on the country village and the lives of the landowning and professional families. Sommer-by-the-Sea is populated with aristocrats, gentry, self-made men, shop owners, local workers, and servants, a cross-section of the people of the time. Steeped in history dating back as far as the Vikings, the villagers are proud and celebrate their heritage.

Everyone from the elite summer residents to the year-round residence keep businesses flourishing and gossip thriving. As with any small town, there are challenges and successes, secrets, disagreements, and feuds. There is no shortage of romance, mystery, drama, and even a murder or two.

Graduates of the Sommer-by-the-Sea Female Seminary have a unique education. Along with the usual studies available, the head mistress has nurtured each woman’s innate ability and helped them develop into the women they are today. This shared unique experience has kept the graduates close.

Each lady has her own story to tell as she is called to action and must demonstrate she is smart, strong and sensible and must challenge the accepted definition of a “woman’s place.” For these women, arranged or political marriages will not do. If she chooses a husband, it will be for love, on her own terms, and with a man who will accept her as a partner.

S: Tell me more about Book 3, "The Lady and Her Duke."

R: Here's the blurb--

Could she use her skills as a lockpick to crack open the secrets to the murder as well as unlock his heart?

Lady Katherine Thornton has no interest in men after an indiscretion at her disastrous Season in London. No man can be trusted. Instead, she indulges in her fascination for gears and all things mechanical. Her unique drafting skill is an asset to her uncle Bennett Sutton, who is automating his textile factory. She doesn't need anything else.

Lord Ian Wallace, the 4th Duke of Blackhall, is a retired military officer. An accidental duke after the deaths of his father and brother, he retreats from society and the clawing mothers and debutantes who stalk him. He’s focused all his energy on his partnership with Sutton. He’s satisfied and needs nothing else.

An oath to marry, a family legend to preserve, an uprising of the factory workers, and Sutton’s murder, throw Katherine and Wallace together to find a blackmailer and murderer. They also will find two things neither knew they were missing… each other and their happily ever after.