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Jan Ruth

Goodreads Author

Born

in Cheshire, The United Kingdom

Website

http://janruth.com/

Twitter

JanRuthAuthor

Genre

Fiction, Contemporary, Memoir

Influences

The Welsh landscape, Everyday Life. The works of: R.F Delderfield, A.J ...more

Member Since

November 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/janruth

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Jan Ruth lives in Snowdonia, a mountainous area of North Wales, UK. Jan writes contemporary fiction about the darker side of the family dynamic, often blending life in rural Wales with a touch of city business. Her style is best described as fast-paced and realistic, with a sprinkling of dry humour.

The real story began at school, with prizes for short stories and poetry. She failed all things mathematical and scientific, and to this day struggles to make sense of anything numerical.
Her first novel – written in 1986 – attracted the attention of editor Anne Dewe, Andrew Mann Literary Agency, London. Dewe’s own company, Love Stories Ltd, was a project aiming to champion those books of substance which contained a romantic element but were perh ...more

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Hi Jan, how do you take your photos a real camera or one of those multi-purpose gadgets that pose as phones :) Do you use any of these images as inspiration to visualise a story line?

Jan Ruth Hi Honor,

I use a Nikon Coolpix.
Since I live in the Conwy Valley, Snowdonia, I use the Welsh landscape as a setting for all of my fiction. I don't thi…moreHi Honor,

I use a Nikon Coolpix.
Since I live in the Conwy Valley, Snowdonia, I use the Welsh landscape as a setting for all of my fiction. I don't think I use photography to help visualise because I'm actually living in the setting, so to speak. I do love to get out onto the hills as a way of plot-busting, though! I think the photography is perhaps secondary to the process, but I do enjoy being able to cross-reference if I need to.(less)

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What are you currently working on?

Jan Ruth I'm currently writing the third book in the WILD WATER series: SILENT WATER.
July 23rd 2015 saw the re-release of WILD WATER: Part One.
Although this …more I'm currently writing the third book in the WILD WATER series: SILENT WATER.
July 23rd 2015 saw the re-release of WILD WATER: Part One.
Although this is the second title Accent Press have released, it’s actually my first novel, a book which has endured the longest journey of all to arrive fully polished and published. It began as a humble paper copy – remember those? – and went through several transformations before arriving in a much less frazzled state.

This is the story of Jack Redman, the wronged alpha male who’s trying to make the best decisions for his family but more often than not, gets kicked in the teeth. How often we read novels in the contemporary genres which consistently root for the female character – nothing wrong with a strong woman, of course – but no one seemed to be telling these stories from the male viewpoint, at least not twenty years ago when I began my quest. Divorce still seems heavily weighted towards the partner with the children, and the mother is usually awarded custody unless there are extenuating circumstances which can be proved. Most of the time this is all well and good, but there are a great number of cases where our ancient system is fully exploited. Sadly, a lot of the initial storyline was prompted by real-life experience but there’s no better starting point than this for fiction in the family-saga genre. Jack Redman is a victim not only of the court system injustices but of its inability to deal with the speed and complications of contemporary family life.

The Wild Water series is strongly rooted in Conwy, a medieval town in North Wales. In the main I’ve used real places, and I do love the mix of historical buildings as a backdrop to a modern tale. Links to Welsh history and heritage are unavoidable in Wales and it’s the visible remains of quarries, castles and farmsteads which give the area a strong sense of the past. And there’s richness in the landscape here which has certainly inspired my writing. St. Celynnin’s 12th century church in the hills for example, is an evocative piece of living history and a landmark which is included throughout the series. It’s exactly the sort of place Anna, with her natural spiritualism, might seek sanctuary. Nestled in the hills 927 feet above the sea, it’s pretty inaccessible and best approached on foot, but this is no great hardship.

Some of the area is chocolate-box pretty, a lot of it isn’t. The struggle to make a living in this community is mostly based on farming or tourism, although the mussel industry is alive and well. Since I know little about these subjects, Jack Redman emerged as an estate-agent. I like to be slightly unconventional with my characters because another great killer of readability is sameness, and cliche.

It was both daunting, and a pleasure to write the follow-up, DARK WATER: Part Two. This novel is to be republished by Accent Press on October 8th 2015.
The story picks up three years after the end of Wild Water and Jack is in for another bumpy ride. Dark Water is, as the title might suggest, a darker story partly because my writing style has changed over twenty years, but also because I introduced an element of crime. It’s too easy to become lazy with a sequel and repeat much of what has gone before. The resurgence of Simon Banks created plenty of tension, and a fresh challenge for me to write some of the story from his perspective. New characters such as Clarissa Harrison-Smith and Peter Claymore, breathed new life into the original cast. When I brought Claymore into the story, he had to have a purpose and a passion, and his persona took root in one of the most fascinating buildings in Conwy – sadly in a state of disrepair – but the real life situation fitted perfectly with what I had in mind for the plot.

This house exists for real and it was built in 1589 by the vicar of Conwy. Since then it’s been a pub, a tearoom and an antique shop. It’s full of spooky atmosphere with cellars, trapdoors and secret passages, and apparently there used to be an escape tunnel which led to the quay. Haunted? Most certainly!
It’s exactly the sort of place someone like Claymore would want to renovate and bring to life, and the perfect setting for Anna to develop in her own right as a serious artist. Her portrait of Llewellyn the Great is the centrepiece of her launch but of course, this is fiction and nothing goes to plan! The comedy and tragedy of Jack’s life rumbles on. In his own words: ‘Raping and pillaging is still rife, even in the modern world.’

As to what will happen in SILENT WATER - I don't know! I've given Patricia Redman 'a voice,' so it will certainly be interesting ...(less)

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Jan Ruth’s books

Average rating: 4.42 · 535 ratings · 311 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Wild Water (The Wild Water Series: #1) 4.34 avg rating — 74 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Silver Rain 4.31 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Away For Christmas 4.47 avg rating — 38 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Midnight Sky (The Midnight Sky Series: #1) 4.47 avg rating — 76 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	White Horizon 4.46 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Home for Christmas 3.77 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gift Horse 4.67 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Long Way From Home 4.37 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dark Water (The Wild Water Series: #2) 4.85 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 2014 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Short Way From Home 4.43 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Wild Water (2 books)
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The Secret by the Lake

by Louise Douglas (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 16, 2020 07:29AM

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Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

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The Anarchists' Club: A Leo Stanhope Case

by Alex Reeve

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Sep 02, 2020 06:10AM

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Jan Ruth is currently reading The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 16, 2020 07:09AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan Ruth rated a book really liked it The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 13, 2020 07:52AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan Ruth started reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jan Ruth rated a book liked it A Song of Sixpence (Bello) by A.J. Cronin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jan Ruth rated a book really liked it Something to Live For by Richard Roper	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Andrew is living the perfect lie: he’s married to Diane and they have two children and a large family home. The innocence of this lie snowballs rapidly after a successful interview with the local council for a job in Death Administration. Bereaved at ...more
Sep 07, 2020 01:16AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Something to Live For by Richard Roper. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Something to Live For by Richard Roper <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan Ruth rated a book it was ok The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Alice marries a rich, attractive American to escape the tedium of her life. But when she arrives in small town Baileyville, Kentucky, she soon comes to realise she’s exchanged one prison for another. Her husband, Bennett, shows no interest in her, ro ...more
Sep 05, 2020 03:05AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan Ruth rated a book really liked it Something to Live For by Richard Roper	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Andrew is living the perfect lie: he’s married to Diane and they have two children and a large family home. The innocence of this lie snowballs rapidly after a successful interview with the local council for a job in Death Administration. Bereaved at ...more
Sep 05, 2020 02:13AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Something to Live For by Richard Roper. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Something to Live For by Richard Roper <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Jan Ruth rated a book it was ok The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Alice marries a rich, attractive American to escape the tedium of her life. But when she arrives in small town Baileyville, Kentucky, she soon comes to realise she’s exchanged one prison for another. Her husband, Bennett, shows no interest in her, ro ...more
Sep 03, 2020 01:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Quotes by Jan Ruth

“I’m an accountant. I’m interested in things that don’t add up.’

Max.”
― Jan Ruth, White Horizon

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Jan’s Quotes

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

tags: books, thought

28296 likes

“Well, it's a good life and a good world, all said and done, if you don't weaken.”
― Alan Sillitoe, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

tags: arthur, life-lessons, reflection, working-class

22 likes

“I'm me and nobody else; and whatever people think I am or say I am, that's what I'm not, because they don't know a bloody thing about me.”
― Alan Sillitoe, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

44 likes

“She was too honest, too natural for this frightened man; too remote from his tidy laws. She was, after all, a country girl; disordered, hysterical, loving. She was muddled and mischievous as a chimney-jackdaw, she made her nest of rags and jewels, was happy in the sunlight, squawked loudly at danger, pried and was insatiably curious, forgot when to eat or ate all day, and sang when sunsets were red.”
― Laurie Lee, Cider With Rosie

tags: cider-with-rosie, countryside, laurie-lee, mothers, women

17 likes