I turned 40 this year myself, and I feel there should be more romance starring middle-aged women. I love YA, and read a lot of it, but I find the 40-something age group generally more interesting to read and write than someone younger, just because they have more life experience and respond to situations accordingly. 

Ruby Sirois – 22 August 2020

The Back Flap

Would you risk your soul for the pleasure he offers?

Forty-something Emelie Odenberg is a witch. A divorced, mead-making witch to be exact–and with a failing company on the razor’s-edge of bankruptcy to boot. Desperate to save it, she turns to her very last resort: summoning a viciously sexy Swedish dragon.

Fire dragon Ragnarr Thoringr loathes witches. He’s despised them for eight hundred years–so why does he find this plus-sized witch so beguiling? There’s something irresistibly steamy brewing between them. She conjures his rapt attention and challenges his deep-seated prejudice–and despite himself, he’s instantly obsessed.

THE DEAL? A handful of wishes to bail out her business, in exchange for immediate payment.

THE CURRENCY? A gorgeous dragon pleasuring every lush curve of her body.

THE CATCH? To claim a share of the dragon’s hoard is to become a part of it. His, forever–body and soul.

About the book

What is the book about?

Deal With Her Dragon is the first book in a four-book BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance series called Thor’s Sons Crave Curves.

It’s about Emelie, a mead-making witch with a failing meadery, who summons Ragnarr, a fire dragon who loathes witches, in a last-ditch effort to help save her business. The gorgeous dragon makes some lascivious demands for the contract between them in exchange for his magical help—which our witch, who has eyes, doesn’t much mind paying. At least, not at first.

All of my books are set in a magical realism Sweden that is heavily influenced by mythology, dreams, and both real and alternate-universe Swedish history and culture. I call this unique niche Nordic Paranormal Romance. If we were in parallel universes, that one might be three or four doors over—recognizable and familiar in some ways, but still quite different enough from our world to be intriguing.

The books in the series each feature one of four half-brother dragon shifters, the sons of the god Thor. Each dragon embodies a different element—fire, water, earth, air—and is paired with one of the witches who are connected to Emelie at So Mote It Bee Meadery.

And although the series is named after the dragons, there are also powerful elements of the ups and downs of female friendship, and the sisterly love and support they have for each other, as overarching themes. It’s really important to me to have strong, uplifting female relationships represented in every book.

Each book in the series is self-contained, but for best enjoyment of the world I would suggest reading them in order. And it goes without saying that each has a guaranteed HEA and a steamy, satisfying romance arc.

When did you start writing the book?

March 25, 2020.

How long did it take you to write it?

32 days, including the 8 days I took off in the middle. Participating in April’s Camp NaNoWriMo helped immensely in getting the book done.

Where did you get the idea from?

I’m a homebrewer myself, and have been for several years. I make mead, wine, beer, cider, and all kinds of hybrids in-between. I love to cook, so naturally I design most of my own recipes—currently in the works is a Chardonnay-red gooseberry rosé mead, made with 3 kilos of gooseberries I picked myself, which will be aged sur lie with French oak for a year… just to give you an idea of the kinds of things I come up with!

I was in my kitchen working on one of my batches one afternoon in March, contemplating what I might write under a new paranormal romance pen name.

I started thinking, what if there was a forty-something curvy witch who had to summon a dangerous shifter to help her save her failing business. And the idea grew from that.

I turned 40 this year myself, and I feel there should be more romance starring middle-aged women. I love YA, and read a lot of it, but I find the 40-something age group generally more interesting to read and write than someone younger, just because they have more life experience and respond to situations accordingly. And I think that there is certainly a demographic of readers hungry for books about slightly older women, because I’m one of them.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Not that I recall in detail, but just getting that full first draft done was a huge accomplishment for me. There was an element of self-doubt there, which was a struggle to push through at times.

What came easily?

I really enjoy writing dialogue, and I’d say that judging from readers’ reactions, it’s a strength. A lot of the dialogue flowed really naturally, especially between Emelie and her snarky cat familiar, Whimsy. As for him, I just imagined every cat I’ve ever known and loved, and made them talk through his mouth about everything cats think about but never say out loud—at least, not in words. And it’s just as delightful as it sounds.

I also love to cook, so the parts talking about food or mead-making came from my own experience and passion, so they were really easy to write.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I don’t think it’s possible not to be affected by your own life, places you’ve been, and people you’ve known. My characters are fictitious, but they may or may not have mannerisms that I’ve observed in real people.

Being a writer is like being a magpie: you steal lots of scraps of shiny things from life, either just because they’re pretty or because they’re interesting or because they might be useful someday. Then you pick through them when you build your nest and hope no one who knows you examines the details too closely.

Do you have a target reader?

I have a mission statement that will resonate with my target reader: “A Rousing RubyNesque Romance.” You can check it out in detail on the home page of my website.

Anyone who loves well-written romance, fantasy, alternate history, and mythology will enjoy my books. That’s not limited to my description of my target reader.

But it’s always a good idea to have a target demographic in mind as an entrepreneur, and I do have a picture in my mind both for when I write books and when I write my newsletters (which I write as if I’m writing to one friend).

I imagine my target reader as between 30-50, female, who perhaps has struggled with body issues or self-esteem issues of some kind, which has sometimes gotten in the way of total happiness in her life.

She loves fantasy, mythology, and science-fiction, and the cleverly thought-out world-building one expects in those genres when they are done well. She enjoys a bit of escapism which is still rooted firmly enough in reality that the scenarios seem plausible in the context. She insists on good writing, a happy ending, and a satisfying romance arc. She enjoys her romance with lots and lots of steam, and finds that it spices up her life. When she finds a really good book, she can’t help but stay up half the night reading even though she has work in the morning—but it was worth it.

My reader loves getting lost in a book, and when she finds a series she enjoys, she can’t wait to get back to that world again and again to find out more. She eagerly devours each new release. As a die-hard fan, she loves the idea of supporting indie creators if only because she wants more of their product, but also because as a fan, she truly wants them to succeed. She tells her friends about the books, music, films, and other unique things she loves because she enjoys sharing her interests and passions with them.

She is interested in travel and other cultures, both real and imaginary. Probably she enjoys playing the occasional video game because of the immersion factor. She loves her friends/family and would do anything for them. She loves to go out to eat as well as having the occasional glass of wine or cocktail, and enjoys trying new things. People delight in being around her, because she is a bit quirky at times—which just adds to her appeal. She is loyal and supportive, loves to laugh, and is someone you’d definitely want as a friend because she’s always got your back.

All in all, she’s an awesome person!

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

​I have daily and monthly word count goals that I strive for. I’m in a few Discord writers’ groups, and I use the word sprints features a lot. So I work sort of according to an adjusted Pomodoro technique.

If I get stuck, I’ll go on a long walk through the woods, or do a workout. I get most of my creative inspiration during exercise as well as in that dreamy half-awake state just before or after sleep. I’d go as far as to say these are vital parts of my process and my writing would suffer the lack.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I find I work much better and more efficiently with an outline. I’ve got a graveyard of half-finished pantsed novels that I couldn’t finish because I got stuck—starting with the fantasy novel I wrote a hundred pages of when I was 11-12. Maybe it goes without saying that I was a precocious child who daydreamed constantly and read voraciously.

Now I outline enough so I know where I’m going and won’t get lost, but I still leave a bit of wiggle room to discover little surprises along the way. It makes everything a bit more fun for me that way—and I figure if I’m surprised and delighted, the reader will be too.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do minor edits as I go, but save the heavy lifting for the end.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I use 6-10 beta readers and personally do at least 10 complete read-throughs of the entire book. This is my process for everything I release. So no, because I don’t have the budget for it yet, but I’ve been told by readers that my books are on a professionally edited level anyway. I credit this process for that.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Not when I write, because I find it too distracting. But I do listen to music when I do design and marketing work.

I’m a huge metalhead. I love Swedish melodic death, blackened folk, symphonic gothic, progressive, Viking/folk, orchestral, industrial, and about a million more tiny subgenres. I do enjoy other genres as well, such as classical and electronic, but metal and rock are my biggest passions. I also have a weakness for ‘90’s rock since I grew up with it.

Anything female-fronted by a talented singer, no matter the genre, always gets my attention. My favorite singer of all time is Anneke van Giersbergen, who’s been making music since 1996 and yet is still quite underground. I’ve been a die-hard fan since 1999. If I met her I’d get her to sign my arm and I’d tattoo it—that’s how much I love her. A dream of mine is to get her to play at my wedding.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No. I’m focused solely on self-publishing right now. In the future I plan on going the hybrid route: partly self-published, partly traditionally published. I’m going to start querying agents next year.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I’ve self-published erotica under another pen name since 2012. I have had some shorts traditionally published under that name in a few anthologies, but there’s far more money possible in self-publishing. That’s why I haven’t ever really pursued traditional publishing.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I’m also a graphic designer, so I did it myself. Does that count as professional?

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Marketing is my Achilles’ heel. I’m learning as I go. I do have a few strategies for my mailing list, and I’m sort of going out from that. As soon as I have the budget I plan on farming out most of the marketing work—it takes a lot of my energy, which is a drain on my writing.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

If you can, start off with a budget for expenses. It will be much easier to get off the ground if you have a decent budget for advertising, mailing list, stock photos, etc.

But above all else, focus on editing and presenting the highest quality finished product possible in all aspects. I believe this will place you head-and-shoulders above most of what’s out there, because readers absolutely will notice and appreciate the difference.

About You

Where did you grow up?

In the Philadelphia, PA area.

When I write American characters, they usually come from Philly… for example, the American witch in book 3, Slaying Her Dragon (coming in 2021). She grew up there and only came to Sweden recently after a mid-life fresh start.

Where do you live now?

Stockholm, Sweden. I moved countries in 2014.

What would you like readers to know about you?

​I’m an opinionated 40-something feminist and bilingual dual citizen. I love cats, swimming, reading, and in the old world, going to metal shows and beer festivals. But most of all, I prefer small parties where there’s lots of good music and a chance to hang out and talk with good friends. A rousing game of bocce at a backyard summer party with a red Solo cup in hand is one of the best things in life.

I live with my gorgeous Viking of over four years in Stockholm, Sweden. He says my interest in foraging herbs and berries, home-brewing and cooking, and just being creative in a dozen different ways like knitting, sewing, graphic design, and illustration makes me quite the witch myself (in the best ways).

He’s not wrong.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the second book in Thor’s Sons Crave Curves, called Landing Her Dragon. It features a water dragon and Emelie’s coven-mate/best friend/business partner at So Mote It Bee Meadery. It’s currently on preorder and goes live on 25 September 2020.

In addition, I have plans for a spin-off novella series and a standalone novel. I am also working on novella-length complementary Christmas-themed extended epilogues for each of the Thor’s Sons books. The first, Ragnarr in the North, belongs to Deal With Her Dragon, and is set in Lapland in the north of Sweden. It will be available on Kindle Unlimited (like all of my books) by the time this interview is live.

By the end of this year, I plan to have released 10 books. Next year, I’ll assess what’s working and what’s not, and what readers are clamoring for, and go from there. Also starting next year, I’d love to be able to offer unique merch like my own digital illustrations of my characters and settings.

My long-term goal is to write the books that my readers and I love, and to resonate and connect with my fans on a personal level. I have the gift of creativity across a plethora of mediums, and through that I want to put positivity and beauty out into the world, leaving it better than when I found it.

Most of all, I want my fans to feel like they have a friend in me.

End of Interview:

For more from Ruby visit her website.

Get our copy of Deal With Her Dragon from Amazon US or Amazon UK.