Ruby Dixon: Encourage All Your Weird Ideas

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at RubyDixon.com, and follow her on Threads and Instagram.

In this interview, Ruby discusses the inspiration behind her new romantasy, Bull Moon Rising, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Ruby Dixon
Literary agent: Holly Root at Root Literary
Book title: Bull Moon Rising
Publisher: Ace
Release date: October 15, 2024
Genre/category: Romantasy, Monster Romance
Previous titles: Ice Planet Barbarians
Elevator pitch: A bookish heiress needs to save her family’s estate, so she wants to join the Royal Artifactual Guild. But to get through the door, she’ll need a chaperone—so she marries her teacher, a surly minotaur.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I was fascinated by the Royal Geographical Society and the idea of having a society that catered to adventurers, but I wanted to make it more fantasy and more romantic (because who am I if I’m not writing a romance?).

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I was playing with the idea and wrote a proposal (3 chapters, an outline, and a high-level pitch) to send to my agent. We were looking for another project to traditionally publish since my Ice Planet Barbarians books had done so well and I liked that I was reaching a new audience by being in physical stores instead of just online.

My agent pitched the idea to Cindy Hwang, my editor for the Berkley Publishing reprints of Ice Planet Barbarians. Cindy asked to have a look at it before we went on submission, and loved it so much that she offered right away.

The title changed (my original one was terribly clunky) but the rest of the story turned out as I’d pitched it, and I wrote the rest of it on a tight deadline. I believe from idea to publication, it was perhaps 15 months? Which is very fast for traditional publishing, but it also involved a lot of working weekends for me.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Every book that goes out the door has a few surprises and learning moments. In this one, I had an established timeline counting down to an event in the story, and I learned I am absolutely rotten at remembering what day it is for my characters. I think I sent the book back and forth with the copyediting department ten times. If I’m ever in New York, I owe them all a drink.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

The biggest surprise to me was how amazing and supportive the Penguin Random House team is. I say it’s a surprise, but it shouldn’t be. I’ve had nothing but amazing experiences with them. I’m always surprised because so many hands end up touching my book. From the initial pitch to the marketing department to the art department (who really did a stellar job—look at that gorgeous package!), I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say more than two dozen people have touched this book on the PRH side. And those are just the ones that emailed me asking questions or clarifying text! I am willing to bet there are more in house.

This one has very much felt like a team effort and I am beyond grateful for everything Cindy and her team has done for me!

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Every book I write, I sincerely hope for readers to just have a good time reading it. I want them to close the book with a smile and take away their troubles for a few hours. I’ve never wanted to write the Great American Novel. I just want to write the literary equivalent of a Good Time.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Encourage all your weird ideas and go down those crazy rabbit holes. All of my “this will never work” ideas always end up being my best ones … and they also end up being the most fun to write.

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