Tuesday 8 December 2015

The Z Files: Jan Ruth ~ Sagittarius

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to write a piece about how typical they are of their sign, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet?  Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :)


Galloping over the mountains of Snowdonia and aiming her arrows at the Amazon bestsellers list, I'm delighted to welcome highly acclaimed contemporary women's fiction author Jan Ruth, a (you've guessed it) Sagittarius! 

 
If you love mature contemporary romance, animals and Welsh hills, Jan's your archer :)  You might also like her In The Christmas Chair series of author interviews ... and her fabulous photographs of the glorious Welsh landscape.  Look at THESE and scroll down to the Winter ones, they're my favourite!

That's Jan waving at you from yonder hills...


Sorry to make demands on your Sagittarian freedom, Jan, but could you canter down and tell us about your ninth sign writer self?


"The centaur. I think I was actually born half a horse. I could whinny from the age of 8 and so far as horses are concerned, I’m still obsessed. Although November 23rd means I was born on the cusp, I’m a true Sagittarius. I’m the Tigger of the zodiac, an optimistic equine adventurer searching for the truth with my bow and arrows, and always on the move.  

I love big outdoor spaces, dogs and horses. I tend to prefer the company of funny men who can talk about politics, poetry and philosophy when the need arises. I have a disgraceful pile of ironing and a full rack of wine, but my walking boots are well waxed."



"I’m annoyingly blunt sometimes and prone to sarcasm and exaggeration, but I dispute the fact we tend to be disloyal! I’m intensely loyal... unless you cross me, then I might be tempted to draw an arrow, although they’d more than likely be as blunt as my fingernails. 

How does this manifest itself in my writing? Surprisingly, I write - mostly in a saggy dressing gown surrounded by last night’s pots and pans - fast-paced contemporary fiction set in Snowdonia and my male characters tend to epitomize the witty anti-hero, usually with a couple of dogs in tow. 

Readers, I’m truly Saggy."

 
Yes, I think we can agree on that last sentence; another contributor for whom I had to highlight nearly the whole article for phrases particularly relevant to the sign!  You can catch up with Jan and find all about her books on her blog and/or follow her on Twitter; it being near Christmas I'll give her special mention to her seasonal short stories, details HERE and cover below!


I've found two fellow contemporary women's fiction lady archer writers for Jan...

...Ms Middle Class family drama herself, Joanna Trollope...


... and a more recent bestseller 
and the other half of Ricky Gervais (I just found out!), Jane Fallon



Up Next: Scorpio

Previous Posts:
LeoRose Edmunds, Anne Goodwin, Alex Johnson,
Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black

12 comments:

  1. I rather think I'll be reading one or two of Jan's books. I can only dream of living where she does, so if her books are set in the area, then at least I can dream some more. And yes, she sounds as Saggi as my brother, who is also one :)

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    1. I'm as jealous as hell about where Jan lives too! If you haven't, do look at the photos in the link, they're amazing :)

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    2. I'm very, very saggi indeed but yes, I do love the Welsh hills.

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    3. The photos are heart stopping!! Just so beautiful!! I loved the autumn ones especially (and the ponies too - what a talent Sandra is!). I must must get to Wales again some day!

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    4. Val, I totally love you! One: you bothered to go and look at the photos (and for anyone who didn't, it seriously is your loss!), and two: you get everyone's name wrong in the most hilariously Vallypee, old hippyish-scatty sort of way!!!! Mwah! xxx

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    5. You see now this is why it's great to follow comments - I came back here a couple of days ago to check something that I knew I'd missed but obviously by the time I got here it was like walking into a room and having no idea why I was there...Val's comment just prompted me :-) What a wonderful way to start a Monday by browsing through those wonderful pictures...and putting work off that little bit longer ;-)

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  2. I remember as a horse-mad child being intensely envious when I found out that some lucky people actually had a half horse as their sign - and I had a goat! Though I then found out that I was born in the year of the Horse so that pacified me a little. I totally understand your obsession with horses Ruth and have loved the books of yours that I've read. It's great to find someone else who puts our four-legged friends in their stories :-)

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    1. Ah, the year of the horse, that's nice for you!!! If it's 1966, you're the year of the Fire Horse, I believe, a one in 60 years thing. Apologies if it's 1978, it's too early in the morning to work out how old you probably are!!! Me, I paid for being smug about having the King of the Jungle for my sign - I'm the year of the PIG!!! Could it get any worse??!!

      I remember first discovering star signs when I looked at these pictures of drawings of couples and the sign they represented. I saw the Cancer one, a domesticated looking pair, she with boring hair and a mumsy outfit, and thinking, oh no, please don't let me be that one - and being very pleased to see that I was the glamorous lady with the golden lion hair, red strapless ballgown and long white gloves, next to the James Bond dude in the dinner jacket (look, this was the mid 60s!). I think that was what started off my interest in it, sheer vanity :)

      I would like to point out to all Cancerian women that Debbie Harry is one. So forget that 'boring mumsy outfit' stuff!!!

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    2. Definitely 1966 T! But a Fire Horse!! Now that is quite a thing isn't it? You learn something new every day :-)Pigs are cute too though...ahem...moving on swiftly...

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    3. The Fire Horse is supposed to have the potential to travel farther and make much impact, G! As for the Chinese pigs - we'll, they're supposed to be sociable, clever, helpful, industrious, etc... but at the end of the day, they're... pigs....

      Phil Conquest is really into all this, much more than our astro stuff. He was supposed to do a post for me and sent me lots of lovely pictures of tigers for his Taurus/Tiger profile, but... that was that!!!! Talking of whom, he's just sent me the unedited draft of the further adventures of Inkker Hauser - I am hoping to start reading shortly! xx

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    4. Oh I'd have loved to have read his post - I daresay it will turn up sometime. Totally envious of you having sight of the next instalment of IH - I shall be first in the queue to buy that :-)

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    5. Glad you enjoyed Midnight Sky Georgia, the sequel will be up and galloping by early 2016. I loved writing this one but it's a bit of an emotional ride...

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