Victoria Ruben

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I love reading, mainly speculative fiction, although lately, I've found that books with no speculative elements at all are super cozy and comforting. I'm currently reading The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, and every time I open it up, it feels like a warm hug.

When and why did you start writing books?

I started writing when I was younger, around 8 or 9, though mainly that was super embarrassing Days of Our Lives fanfiction. I totally Mary Sued my way into my favorite soap, and it worked for me because I was bored and narcissistic and wanted to be friends with or date all my favorite characters.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

Since I'm constantly writing anyway, I figured self-publishing my work would be a fun outlet and a way to gain a readership.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

My favorite character in The Young Gods is Jessa Kate. As I was writing her, I was constantly surprised by how often her timidity was offset by strength and grace. While her boyfriend and girlfriend are all fire and ice, Jessa is able to balance these elements to be the kindest and most diplomatic of the three.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

The Young Gods was the hardest to write. It took about four years from idea conception to the final manuscript being completed, and then, it took two more years of edits and querying agents before I decided to self publish.

Who is your favourite author and book?

My favorite book is Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Without it, I never would've written The Young Gods, which deals with death, dying, and the afterlife in ways that are (hopefully) almost as interesting.

What book are you reading right now?

I'm reading The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams and Uzumaki by Junji Ito

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Every character in The Young Gods is either someone I've known or someone I've been. The grad school portions were inspired by my own time in a writing program. The New York sections were inspired by my love for the city and by a particularly fun vacation my husband and I had there. The relationships between characters are ones I've been in or ones I've seen the people closest to me be in.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love playing Apex Legends with my husband (Rampart mains unite!) I also love going to Disney with my husband and daughters.

Do you have any new books in the works?

I have an upcoming thriller called Wildfire, Spreading. It will be released later this year. I also might re-release my first three novels, The Shattered Genesis, The Bargaining Path, and The Irreversible Reckoning, which I published in 2012, 2013, and 2015, respectively. They were each between 500-800 pages long, so they will need A LOT of editing before they come out!