Today I am sharing an author interview with Alicia G. Ruggieri. This interview was previously shared on Library Lady’s Kid Lit.
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About the Author – Alicia G. Ruggieri
Alicia G. Ruggieri grew up breathing in the salty air of coastal New England. She now writes grace-filled, Christ-centered fiction from her home in Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and sweet second-hand mutt. She loves old graveyards, dusty libraries, and excellent cannolis ~ not necessarily in that order.
Author Interview with Alicia G. Ruggieri
When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
That’s a difficult one to answer because I’ve written down stories for nearly as long as I can remember. A number of years ago, I stepped into the stream of publication, though, and God has just directed the current from there.
When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?
I love gardening, especially vegetable gardening! Watching seeds develop into plants that produce food to eat amazes me with the creativity of the Lord God. I also am a part-time secretary for the church that my husband pastors, and I am a part-time teacher for an Amish school.
What historical figure do you admire and why?
There are a lot of folks whom I admire for different reasons, but I think I’ll highlight William Tyndale. He knew and believed that the Word of God held the key to eternal life, and so he was willing to risk – and eventually give – his earthly life to share the Scriptures with people in a language they could understand. His passion for the truth at any cost inspires me. I want to have that in my own heart.
Where did the idea come from for this book?
I often will get a nugget of an idea first, then the title follows, and the Lord guides the story onward. For The Secret Place of Thunder, I started with the premise: “What if the Book of Job was set in the Appalachians?”
Interesting premise.
Which character did you enjoy writing most?
To be honest, I loved writing each of them for different reasons! The mountain people Edna meets on her route brought me back to one of my favorite Christian fiction novels, Christy by Catherine Marshall. Of course, Cecil livened things up and challenged Edna, so he made me smile a lot! And Ruthie — I enjoyed making an ornery and cantankerous character who always thinks that everyone else is ornery and cantankerous!
As a former K-12 school librarian I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?
Hands-down, The Velveteen Rabbit. It is a beautiful story of true love, sacrifice, and redemption that brings tears to my eyes to this day.
What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?
Above all else, read good, classic literature! So much of it is going to the wayside right now in favor of contemporary reads, but we writers can learn SO MUCH from the writers of the past like Dickens, MacDonald, Elliot, Bronte, and others.
Thanks, Alicia, for taking a couple of minutes to answer my questions today. We enjoyed getting to know a little bit about you.
About the Series
The Secret Place of Thunder is part of the Librarians of Willow Hollow multi-author novella collection. Each novella stands on its own but is connected to the others in this historical Christian fiction series set in 1930s Appalachia.
Other books in the Librarians of Willow Hollow series:
A Strand of Hope by Amanda Tero
I Love to Tell the Story by Faith Blum
Hearts on Lonely Mountain by A.M. Heath
Come along as four packhorse librarians find adventures outside the books they carry!
Links
Purchase the The Secret Place of Thunder: https://amzn.to/3jdJcVb — Available in e-book and softcover
Author’s Website: http://www.aliciagruggieri.com
Author’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/AliciaGRuggieri
Author’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliciagruggieri
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