Sarah Grunder Ruiz: On Bringing Side Characters to the Forefront
Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a writer, educator, and karaoke enthusiast. Originally from South Florida, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and two children. She holds an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University, where she now teaches First-Year Writing. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Photo by Joanna Sue Photography, 2021
In this post, Sarah discusses how prioritizing self-care led to a book she’s proud of with her new romance novel, Last Call at the Local, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Literary agent: Wendy Sherman
Book title: Last Call at the Local
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: January 2, 2024
Genre/category: Contemporary Romance
Previous titles: Luck & Last Resorts; Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships
Elevator pitch: Opposites attract when a free-spirited American singer-songwriter with ADHD teams up with a charming Irishman with OCD to revitalize his family’s pub.
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What prompted you to write this book?
Our hero, Jack, has a very minor appearance toward the end of my second novel, Luck and Last Resorts. He was supposed to just … get in and get out. But somehow, he stole my heart in just a few pages and it was impossible to get him out of my head. I wanted to know more about him (and spend a little more time in the Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships universe). I’d already been tinkering with an idea about a singer with ADHD who works at a karaoke restaurant, and I didn’t know what to do. After discussing this dilemma with Beta Reader Dani (a friend who reads pretty much every draft of everything I write), she told me I ought to combine the two ideas, and thus Last Call at the Local was born!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
All of my ideas change a lot during the process! I make sure I write my pitches with a lot of wiggle room, so as long as whatever I end up with fits the pitch, I let the rest change and evolve as best fits the story. This book took the longest of my three books to write. I got the idea for it while finishing up Luck and Last Resorts in the summer of 2021, started writing it in September of 2021, and here we are!
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I’m a writer who always meets her deadlines. The book was originally supposed to come out in July of 2023, but some life circumstances made writing a challenge. I was faced with the choice to either rush through the final few scenes and plot points I was stuck on, or push my publication date to give myself more time. I am so glad I pushed my deadline. I wanted to do the characters and the story justice, but I wasn’t in a place where I was capable of that. I only ever want to publish work I really believe in, and slowing down to take care of myself really allowed me to make this story something I am proud to share.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I went into this one thinking it would be a single-POV story from the heroine’s point of view, like my previous two novels, but I quickly discovered that Jack, our hero, had his own story to tell. I had never written from the POV of a man, let alone an Irish man with OCD who used to be a tattoo artist and owns a pub. I did an enormous amount of research on OCD, to the point that I started getting targeted ads for OCD therapy apps. In the end, all of that work was worth it to hear from early readers with OCD how Jack’s character made them feel seen, understood, and accepted. As a writer, it doesn’t get much better than that.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I think the dedication (stolen from one of my favorite parts of the book) best speaks to what I hope my readers get out of this book: “You deserve every good thing, even when you’re having dark thoughts. You deserve to be happy, even when you aren’t well. And love, you deserve that too.”
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Pay as much attention to your writing process as you do the writing itself. My writing process has evolved with every book. I have learned to slow down and trust my intuition. Sometimes the best thing I can do for my work is step away and think for a week or two, rather than write through a blockage.
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