On Writing Rituals by Ronald L. Ruiz

I write in a small, reconverted room next to our kitchen which I can close off from the rest of the house. A big window has been put into one of the outside walls and I have a wonderful view of two mountains which often change colors as the sun moves. When there is too much activity or noise in the kitchen, I move to our bedroom and use a desk there.        

I try to write every day but, because of every day life, that seldom works out and I average about six days a week of writing.

I have no set schedule for writing except that I generally like to have a minimum of two hours and a maximum of three hours available to write in. So sometimes I write at night, sometimes early in the morning and sometimes that means anytime during the day that I have a two to three-hour block of time available.

I don’t snack and I try to avoid eating anything while I´m writing because, believe it or not, I think that slows me down. I will make myself a cup of coffee whenever I feel myself slowing down.

There is no specific ritualistic thing I do when I´m writing except sitting in my chair and trying to decide where I want to go next with the writing and how I’m going to get there. Then I either write it down or type it down.

I always write the first draft of my work with pen and ink on paper and then type all the following drafts on my computer. I started trying to write when I was 17 and I’m now retired. So I´ve been at this for many years. When I first started writing, and for many years after that, there were no computers or laptops. So I wrote in pen and ink on paper, and I still feel comfortable doing that with my first draft.

Book Details:

• Book Title: Life Long by Ronald L. Ruiz
• Category: Adult Fiction, 268 pages
• Genre: Literary Fiction
• Publisher: Amika Press
• Release date: June 9, 2017
• Tour dates: Sept 18 to Oct 6, 2017
• Content Rating: PG-13 + M (For foul language and questions about the existence of God)

Book Description:

Ray Lopez is on the run with a duffel bag full of cash. Both drug dealers and the police are after him. But Ray is not a criminal. His last brush with the law was over traffic tickets. Recently released from the hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, he is haunted by voices, auditory hallucinations, that frighten him and cause him to question his every move.

Ray’s journey from California to Laredo is perilous. Like so many Americans before him, he travels through unfamiliar territory with no clear way of knowing who will help and who will harm him. And he may well find himself on the wrong side of the border with a mind that has no borders.

Praise for Life Long:

“Ruiz proves to be a very sharp social critic, and no detail gets past him in this richly imagined book. A highly recommended novel that appeals to both the heart and the head.”

– Kirkus Reviews

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Meet the Author:

Born and raised in Fresno California – Educated at St. Mary´s College California, University of California Berkeley, University of San Francisco – Practiced law from !966 to 2003 as a Deputy District Attorney, a criminal defense attorney, and a Deputy Public Defender – Appointed to the California Agriculture Labor Relations Board by Governor Jerry Brown in 1974 and later served as the District Attorney of Santa Cruz County California.

Ronald L. Ruiz has published 5 novels and a memoir. Happy Birthday Jesus (1994), Giuseppe Rocco (1998), The Big Bear (2003), A Lawyer (2012), Jesusita(2015). and Life Long (2017).

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook

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