Ruby Dixon wanted to write a heroine who was the least likely to be the sort of adventurer you would normally expect in a story, so that was part of the inspiration behind "Bull Moon Rising."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book, and how was the experience of creating this characters like?
I’d been circling around a fantasy version of the Victorian-era Royal Geographical Society, but it only truly clicked when I decided to make the focus on dungeon-diving and a school of basically learning how to be an adventurer. And because I like making things difficult on my characters, I wanted the heroine to be the least likely sort of adventurer, the type that thinks it sounds amazing on paper but that the reality is so much harder than she’d imagined. Aspeth (the heroine) is book-smart and utterly naïve about the realities of the world. After I had the basics, I pretty much just shoved all the things I love into a story – a snarky companion, a found family, a monster hero.
From “Ice Planet Barbarians” to “Bull Moon Rising,” your books specialize in amazing world building, lots of humor, unexpected and unconventional romance and fantasy. What do you love the most about these types of stories and writing them?
There’s something about finding the silver lining in an otherwise difficult situation that I find endearing. Isn’t there a saying that you have to laugh or you’ll cry? I’d much rather laugh! I guess the stories I enjoy telling the most are the ones where it’s like – here’s the hand you were dealt. Let’s all laugh at how terrible this is and then figure out how to make the best of it!
Why do you feel representation of different types of characters is so important when it comes to writing novels and capturing reader's interest?
When I was younger, I never saw myself in stories. As a fat, shy, awkward girl in a hip-to-shoulder back brace, if I was in a story, I’d end up being the character that gets killed to teach the hero a moral lesson. That’s crap. To me, it’s important that we continue to recognize that heroes and heroines can be fat or thin, smart or not, and that physical or social handicaps don’t take you off the playing field. Everyone can be the hero or heroine of a story. EVERYONE.
What can fans expect from your new book? Was there a character that you loved writing the most, or maybe one that took a different direction than expected in the story?
Fans can expect a setting that tries to keep the heroine down, a heroine that won’t let it, some awkward jokes, some spicy scenes, and well, a possessive monster hero who ends up being a simp for the heroine. As for a character that stole my heart…Kipp! He started out one note in my head and ended up being my favorite.
What's up next for you in the bookish world and beyond that you can share?
I recently just turned in “By The Horns,” the sequel to “Bull Moon Rising” featuring a different hero/heroine (no cliffhangers around here) and will have more “Ice Planet Barbarians” special editions coming early next year.
