Ruth Hartman Interview & Giveaway

Hello Ruth Hartman. Thank you for taking the time to stop by. I am honored to have you here.

To start would you mind telling the readers a little about yourself?

Hi Marissa. Thanks for having me on Sizzling Hot Books! I'm a published author, dental hygienist, wife, and mother to two frumpy cats.

Your upcoming release is Purrfect Voyage what can you tell us about it?

Purrfect Voyage is a funny, sweet, rated PG romance. Kitty, the heroine, chases her cat down a marina dock, on to a yacht, and hits her head at the bottom of the yacht stairs. When she wakes up several hours later, she and her cat are out to sea. And they're not alone! She spends the next two weeks getting to know, and falling in love with George, the man who's captaining the yacht.

Oh, I loved Arthur! You gave him such a strong personality… So do you have a cat like that in real life (had one in the past)?


Arthur's antics and facial expressions are a combination of my current two cats and some of them I've had in the past. All cats are funny, and interesting. And each one has a very unique personality.
 
So, did you go to the marina to research Purrfect Voyage like Kitty did her book? (Sorry, just couldn’t help myself with that question.) What about a yacht?
 
I have been to a couple marinas in Alaska. But not for research, just for fun:) And the name of the yacht, MT Pockets was the name of a family member's fishing boat. I thought the name was clever. I have to say, though, I had to look at the name a couple of times before I realized MT was Empty.
 
Kitty is a writer, but of children’s books. Is there a reason you when with children’s books? (After all there are adult series with cat’s as main characters or integrators, both romance and mysteries.) Also did you ever think about writing a children’s book?
 
For "Purrfect Voyage" it seemed more fun for Kitty to be writing for children. The drawings she does of Arthur in different scenarios were very kid-friendly. But I have read some of the adult books, like mysteries with cats in them. and love them!
 
I'm happy to say, my first children's book will be out this October from Turquoise Morning Press. It's called "Murphy in the Paw-Paw Patch" about a cat who is born without pads on his paws, and travels to the paw-paw patch to get some.
 
Kitty’s publisher is mean, to her and about her. Have you ever had this experience personally? Ever heard other writers talking about something like this…OH, remind me never to make a writer mad…
 
All of my publishers are wonderful! That part was purely fictional, I promise! Although, in the past, I have had several mean dentists as bosses when I work as a dental hygienist. Thankfully, the one I have now is great!
 
What inspired you to write romance?

I didn't set out to write romance. My first book was a memoir about my OCD. But one day while I was cleaning a patient's teeth, I suddenly wondered what would happen if a hygienist fell in love with a patient? What kind of problems would they face?

You also have a few other romance novels out, what can you tell us about them? Do you have a favorite?

I can't say I have a favorite. I love them all. Two of them involve dentistry in some way. And they all three involve cats. "Flossophy of Grace" is the novel I mentioned about the hygienist falling in love with her patient. "Pillow Talk" is the story of a tooth fairy who falls in love with her dentist.

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? Was your family and friends supportive?

I'd taken a course in writing for children several years ago. But I never did much with it until 2008. I came across my old course work and wondered what would happen if I sent out some stories to publishers. Nothing much came of that, until one publisher asked if, instead of a children's story, I could write my true life story about my struggles with OCD. That's how "My Life in Mental Chains" came to be. The only person who knew I was writing that at the time was my husband. I didn't even tell anyone else until it was accepted for publication. I'd really put my self out there, being very honest about what I had to go through with my OCD. I was afraid my family wouldn't understand why I did it. But most everyone was supportive about it, and all have encouraged me to keep on writing.

What is the writing process like for you? Do you have a particular writing process or any writing rituals?

I don't have any rituals, unless you count sitting at my computer with one or two cats on my lap. And I'm more of a "by the seat of my pants" writer. I have to do my writing when I'm off from my dental hygiene job.

In your free time what can you be found doing?

Writing, reading, listening to music with my husband or playing with our cats. We also like to watch old movies.

What are you currently working on? Anything you can share regarding your current Work in Progress?

Right now I'm working on "Grin and Barrett" for Turquoise Morning Press. It's scheduled to be released this July. Another dental romance novel, it's about two dentists who compete for all the new patients in their small town, but end up being attracted to each other.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I never realized how much joy I would get from writing. Or how much it would mean to me to give someone a good laugh while reading my stories. Sometimes people just need a feel-good book to escape into for a while.

Ruth is giving away a copy of Purrfect Voyage. To enter please leave Ruth a question below. The contest ends March 15th at11:59pm EST