RUE ALLYN (Cont.)
INTERVIEW
MFRW:
RA: Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I love reading romance novels and at the
time I decided to write them, I couldn’t
find any new novels that I enjoyed. I de-
cided to write my own heart-melting ro-
mances.
MFRW: When did you first think about writing and
what prompted you to submit your first ms?
What genre is it?
I have always written, so I don’t recall a
time when I first thought about it. My first
professionally published novel was a ro-
mance. I had written a very boring disser-
tation of about three hundred pages. I fig-
ured if I could write 300 pages of boring, I
could probably manage 150 pages of fun
and interesting.
RA:
MFRW:
RA:
5
Tell us about your latest book. What moti-
vated the story? Where did the idea come
from? Where do your story ideas usually come
from?
The Catnapped Lover is a radically re-
vised re-issue of the second book I ever
published. It has been out of print for
close to twenty years. I love this story
which combines a
variation on “the
bet” trope with
“the fish out of wa-
ter trope.” I hon-
estly can’t say that
my story ideas
come from a spe-
cific place or proc-
ess. However, I can
say the process almost always starts with
asking myself “what if . . .?”
MFRW:
RA:
MFRW:
RA:
Do you feel humor is important in fiction and
why?
Humor is vital in both life and fiction.
Imagine, if you can, a world without hu-
mor. Horrible, right? Well novel writing,
at its most basic, is world building—
creating a story world where the reader
feels comfortable. So, yes, humor is vital
in fiction
What is your secret guilty pleasure?
Raspberry, peach and pink grapefruit jelly
bellies.