About Ruth
As the child of Vietnamese immigrant parents, I found my place to belong in fictional worlds. Now, I forge my own fantastical safe havens where survivors of hard things can heal, dream, and fight for a better future.
I have a bit of an overactive imagination (it’s kind of my job) and sometimes daydream about going on a quest in Narnia or helping Kaz Brekker’s Crows pull off their next heist. The only special abilities I’d have to offer would be my operatic high notes and bánh mì taste testing skills (but surely those will be useful, right?) For now, I focus on crafting hopeful endings for my imaginary friends, reading Homer without footnotes, and trying to teach my dogs to talk. They’ll figure it out eventually. I believe in them.
FAQs
What are your favorite books?
Like any bibliophile, I can’t possibly list them all, but I’d pick these up anytime:
- The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- Hamlet
- Crime & Punishment
- Whereabouts (Jhumpa Lahiri)
- Circe (Madeline Miller)
- Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)
- Holes (Louis Sachar)
How did you first start writing?
I was an avid reader as a child and always wanted to write my own novels, so I experimented with a number of different genres and styles of writing growing up. But I didn’t pursue publication as a serious career until my twenties. I was blessed with fantastic training from my mentors at the Author Conservatory and from various authors and other publishing professionals who helped me to hone my skills. So the world doesn’t have to suffer through the plot-hole-ridden fantasy quests or info-dumpy historical adventures I wrote way back when…
What kind of books do you write?
I write adult fantasy, but that’s a pretty wide label. So I might be working on Vietnamese-inspired fantasy retelling today or literary post-apocalyptic tomorrow. I’m always exploring something new within my genre—but the heart behind my stories stays the same.
What age range are your books for?
My books are adult fantasy, i.e. written primarily for 18+ audiences. For me as an author, this usually means they may reference some tougher topics.
That said, as someone who grew up reading adult books from an extremely young age, I do want for younger readers to be able to read my work if some gentle coverage of those difficult issues would benefit them. (After all, young people go through hard things, too.)
So any content in my books is something I’d be comfortable handing to my preteen younger self. i.e. romance is closed door, violence isn’t described graphically, and any sensitive topics (such as trauma or racism) that aren’t immediately apparent from the blurb will have trigger warnings posted. Most of all I want readers to be safe reading my books (or feel safe making the choice not to pick one up if they feel that wouldn’t be healthiest for them in that moment).
I’d love to stay in touch with you!
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