Ask the Author: J.J. Rusz
Answered Questions (4)
J.J. Rusz
For me, the best thing about writing fiction is bringing pleasure to readers—surprising them, delighting them, making them rethink expectations, introducing them to new places and ideas.
J.J. Rusz
Under my real name John Ruszkiewicz, I've had a successful career as a textbook author, my first book appearing in 1981 and new editions of two texts are on track to appear in 2019. When others asked what the key to success in the field was, I always replied meeting deadlines. I was serious too. All your creativity and talent mean nothing unless you can produce professional copy on time.
Of course, writing fiction is vastly different. But even so, it's steady writing that keeps the creative juices flowing. You have to set goals and deadlines for yourself and then meet them—or at least try to.
J.J. Rusz
The Window Trail began with a series of photos I took in 2002 while hiking the famous trail at Big Bend National Park in Texas. When I got to the canyon pour-off at its end, I wondered whether anyone had written a story about the remote and haunting place. When a few years later I finally moved to the Big Bend region, I hit upon an idea that combined my academic background with an event that could occur at the end of the hike. The Window Trail developed from there.
J.J. Rusz
I'm currently outlining the plot for the second book in my Big Bend Country Mystery series, tentatively titled The South Rim Trail. It takes place about six months after the action of The Window Trail.
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