RBL Presents!
Rebecca York





I think romance readers everywhere will agree that paranormal romance has reached immense popularity over the last few years. Vampires, demons, witches, time-travelers, the whole myriad of mythical beings ... bring them on! We love all that is beyond our imagination and hopefully a sexy journey into a happy-ever-after. It was with that line of thinking that I ventured into Rebecca York's world of werewolves. The intensity of her writing consumed me right away. Reading each of her books felt like a great rush of suspense, thrill, emotions and a racing pulse. Hungry for more, I searched her website for her backlist, only to find out that Rebecca York is in fact Ruth Glick, a truly interesting person in addition to being a great writer. With a bestseller track record and countless awards, Ruth has published over 100 books, more than 45 of which she wrote as Rebecca York. She is a world traveler and enjoys many interests and hobbies. Ruth holds a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from The George Washington University, and an M.A. in American Studies from The University of Maryland. She heads the Columbia Writers Workshop. She is profiled in Who's Who in America, Contemporary Authors, and Who's Who of American Women.



So without further ado, here is my interview with Ms. Rebecca York!



Lina: Should I address you as Ruth or Rebecca?

Rebecca: I answer to either.

Lina: Would you please tell us a little more about yourself? What are some of the things you enjoy when you're not busy writing? Could you tell us about your family or where you live?

Rebecca: My husband and I live in Maryland - between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. I grew up in D.C., and I love living around here. My son is a Foreign Service Officer and is currently stationed in Moscow. My daughter and son-in-law, both librarians in D. C., have two sons. When I'm not writing, I might be cooking, gardening, reading, or doing some craft project - like making a table top out of a picture and frame. Recently I've been covering cardboard boxes with wallpaper or fabric to decorate my closet.

Lina: Were you a romance reader before you became a romantic suspense writer? Could you tell us who some of your favorite authors are?

Rebecca: I didn't know romances existed until the early 80's when they became popular and a friend asked if I wanted to try and write one. Until then, I'd always read mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and adventure. I always loved the romance subplot in those books. And I loved discovering stories where the romance was the main story.

I love reading Ken Follett, Dick Francis, Clive Cussler, Faye Kellerman, Loretta Chase, Angela Knight, J. K Rowling.

Lina: Why did you choose to write romantic suspense as opposed to any other type of romance or fiction in general?

Rebecca: I wrote some romances that were pretty good. But I'm better at romantic suspense, where I can combine danger and heart-pounding action with a heartwarming romance.

Lina: What inspires you to write? Do you always seem to have a story to tell, or does it ever become challenging to write the next page?

Rebecca: It's always challenging, even when I know what story I want to tell. There are always things about each book that are difficult for me. But there are always stories in my head clamoring to have me tell them. That's been true since I was a kid. Back then I didn't write my stories. Instead I got my friends to act out scenarios - or we used our dolls as the main characters. Interestingly, the stories with the dolls were usually romantic suspense - only I didn't know it back then. I didn't think I could BE a writer, because I'm dyslexic and I can't spell - which made my early experiences in school very frustrating.

Lina: Do you have any "rituals" while writing? A favorite cup of coffee? A favorite music CD playing? A pet curled up next to you?

Rebecca: I love to have a cat curled up with me while I write.

Lina: Do you feel a difference in writing as Ruth Glick vs. Rebecca York? Is there some sort of a "transformation process" that puts you in a different mode of writing? Or is Rebecca York simply a name used on a book cover?

Rebecca: Hum. I think Rebecca York is just the name on the book cover. It's always me in there putting the words on the screen. The stories come from my imagination and my sensibilities.

Lina: When I first picked up KILLING MOON, your non-series suspense debut, I was so intrigued that I searched for your website hoping to discover a backlist of your work. Do you only write series books as yourself?

Rebecca: Most of my backlist is under the Rebecca York name. They ARE on my website - under "fiction." Most of my Ruth Glick books (except for my kids' books and a couple of Superromances) are cookbooks (under non-fiction on my website).

Lina: Can you tell our readers about your MOON series? When will the next book in the series be out? Could you give us a few hints about it?



Rebecca: The funny thing is that I never planned a Moon Series. I got an idea for one werewolf book, and my publisher wanted more.

As a teenager, I had read a werewolf book called DARKER THAN YOU THINK by Jack Williamson. I loved the story. In fact, it made me want to BE a werewolf. Later I read and loved another werewolf book, THE WOLF'S HOUR, by Robert McCammon.

When I started contemplating KILLING MOON, paranormal was very much out. But I kept thinking about a book with a werewolf detective who used his wolf senses to solve crimes. Even thought I doubted I could sell the story, it simply wouldn't let me go. Finally my friend Mary Kilchenstein, who writes as Mary Kirk, told me in her blunt way that she was tired of hearing me talk about the idea. So I should either write it or shut up. I accepted the challenge and started working on what became KILLING MOON.

There were many different directions in which I could have taken the story, but I stuck with what I love, romantic suspense. I was pretty sure that to sell single title paranormal romantic suspense, I'd have to write the whole book, not just do a proposal. So I worked on KILLING MOON around my Intrigue schedule. Cindy Hwang at Berkley loved the story and asked me for more werewolf books. That's how I found myself with a werewolf series that I hadn't planned for.

In addition to the four Moon books, a novella in the series, "Burning Moon," was out in July, in an anthology called CRAVINGS, with Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson and Eileen Wilks. I don't want to be known only as "the werewolf lady" in single title. Last August I had a book out called BEYOND CONTROL. It's about telepaths who develop their talents after they begin to link sexually. It's got all the intensity of my werewolf books, but the paranormal element is different.

The fifth werewolf book is SHADOW OF THE MOON. It's set in an S & M club in Washington, D.C. The heroine is Savannah Carpenter, whose sister frequented the place until she was pushed or fell off a cliff in Rock Creek Park. Savannah is trying to find out what happened to her sister when she meets the hero, werewolf Lance Marshall. Lance is a journalist who wants to write a book about the club - and he offers to help Savannah get inside, but only if they are comfortable playing the roles of patrons. Soon their relationship turns intense, and they find themselves in danger as sinister forces stalk them.

Lina: Is your novella, "Burning Moon," related to the MOON series?

Rebecca: Yes. I loved writing that story. It's about Grant Marshall, the brother of Lance and Logan (whom I'm writing about now in a book called NEW MOON). Grant's life mate was murdered, and all he wants to do is find the man who killed her so he can rip out his throat. Then he plans to walk out into the ocean and never come back. But he meets the woman who makes him want to live again. She's a blind tarot card reader who helps him track down the killer and bring him to justice.

Lina: Who is your favorite among the characters you've created in your MOON series?

Rebecca: It's got to be Ross Marshall. He's my first werewolf and my all-time favorite. He's working hard to bring the Marshall clan into the 21st century, and he's been successful in changing life for werewolves, their life mates and their children.

Lina: BEYOND CONTROL, released in 2005, is also a Berkley Romantic Suspense. Can you tell us a bit about that book? Will that be a part of a series or is it just a single title?



Rebecca: I told a little bit about BEYOND CONTROL above. The story was in my head for years, but while paranormal was out, I couldn't sell it to anyone. I do plan to write more about my telepaths. After I finish NEW MOON, I'm going back to the BEYOND CONTROL universe.

Lina: As Rebecca York, what other books do you have upcoming?

Rebecca: I have a couple of novellas coming out. One's for Tor in a collection called MIDNIGHT MAGIC. My story, "Second Chance," is about a woman whose fiancé was murdered. She's sent back in time to before his death. She's overwhelmed to be with him again, but because she knows the future, she keeps doing things that he thinks are strange - which creates a lot of tension between them. So the very things she's doing to try and save his life drive him away from her. (Since I always have a happy ending, they solve the problem!)

I also have a Berkley novella, "Bond of Silver," in UNLEASHED. It's about the inhabitants of New Atlantis who go out to find a soul mate who has psychic abilities that can help them maintain the force field around the island. Alexander, my hero, runs into problems, because the woman he meets is the daughter of his stepfather. And her mother is determined to keep him from bonding with her daughter, Claire.

And in April, 2006, I have THE SECRET NIGHT, a vampire Intrigue. I was surprised at how far they let me go with the book.



Lina: I was surprised to discover that you also write cookbooks. Can you tell us a bit about those? Is cooking an interest? Do you create the recipes in your books or are they somehow collected?



Rebecca: I've always loved cooking. When I first started writing, I wrote newspaper and magazine articles, and some of my articles were food articles with recipes. I kept up that interest and translated it into book form. I often do books for special diets - such as low-fat or low-carb. One of my best-sellers is THE DIABETES SNACK MUNCH NIBBLE NOSH BOOK, which I've just revised for the American Diabetes Association. When my husband and I went on a low-carb diet, I wrote FABULOUS LO-CARB CUISINE, which we published ourselves as Light Street Press (get it?). We sold almost ten thousand copies of the book. Another favorite cookbook of mine is SKINNY SOUP, which was a best-seller for Surrey Books.

I don't collect recipes. I either make them up or I take standard recipes and change them to be low-fat or low carb. And I test them two or three times before I put them in a book. Ideally, I also have someone else test them, too, so I can see if the tester had any problems with the directions or if I made any mistakes.

Lina: I remember reading on your website that you travel extensively. Could you tell us where your favorite visit was? Any especially funny or fond memories that come to mind first?


(L to R: Ruth in Cairo in 2001, Kenya in 2001, Thailand in 2000)


Rebecca: It's hard to come up with a favorite because we really do travel a lot. I guess I loved going out on safari in Africa and seeing all the animals up close. Or in Thailand we went to an elephant training ground where we rode on an elephant, and I got to feed a baby elephant. There are pictures from my trips on my website. Another favorite was swimming with a dolphin at Discovery Cove. You can see some pictures from those trips on my web site under "picture gallery."

Lina: Did you ever meet a fan while traveling internationally or find one of your books in a foreign bookstore?

Rebecca: I haven't met any foreign fans, but I have seen my books in foreign bookstores.

Lina: Do members of your family read all your books? Do they ever tease you for writing romantic scenes?

Rebecca: My daughter and husband both read my books. And my mom read all of my books. (Except my Blazes, which I didn't tell her about!) My son probably wouldn't be caught dead reading Rebecca York ... and if he did, I'm sure he wouldn't mention the love scenes.

Lina: Do you make any book signing appearances? Any upcoming events?

Rebecca: I will be at the Literacy signing at RWA in July. I'll also be signing at Thrillerfest in Phoenix in June.

Lina: OK, one last question ... or two: If you weren't a writer, what would you be? Is writing your dream job?

Rebecca: If I weren't a writer, I'd love to own a restaurant. But, yes, writing IS my dream job.



On behalf of the wild and wonderful gals at RBL Romantica, I would like to thank you for taking the time to allow us this interview. We will look forward to your future books. Happy Spring!


~Lina~


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