VOTM San Diego

Books

It was unusually hot and humid in San Diego last night with a bit of much-needed rain but there was still a tremendous turnout for the 10th anniversary celebration of Vermin on the Mount with Nathan Young, Hanna Tawater, Marivi Soliven Blanco, Justin Hudnall, and the always fierce Lizz Huerta. There are great things happening in San Diego and these writers are right in the thick of it. Many thanks to 3rdSpace — Vermin on the Mount’s home in San Diego. 

Interview at The Believer Logger

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Brandon Hobson and I discuss Forest of Fortune through the lens of addiction to drugs and gambling. Not your average interview. This one might surprise you.

BH: Tell me—what’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

JR: Think of yourself as an artist. Knowing your craft is essential, but you’re not a barrel maker. You’re not a framer. You’re not hammering little cabinets together. You’re a fucking artist, so take risks everyday. You weren’t put on this planet to follow rules.

Forest of Fortune Launches at Skylight Books

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Photo by Nuvia Ruland

Last night Skylight Books launched Forest of Fortune in spectacular fashion. Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated with me. I read a very brief (but very raunchy) excerpt from the book that caused one person to walk out (winning), talked about the novel’s autobiographical origins, and answered a lot of great questions from the audience. We also gave away some t-shirts in a totally legit, non-rigged raffle. A great night all the way around. 

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Selfie by Patrick O’Neil & Ashley Perez

If you missed it, don’t fret. I’m going to be reading in Los Angeles and San Diego throughout the month of August, including readings at Book Soup, San Diego Writers Ink, Tongue & Groove and Avenue 50 Studio. Check the events page on my website for the latest updates. The next two events are both Vermin on the Mount anniversary extravaganzas: one in San Diego on Sat Aug. 2 and another in L.A. on Fri. Aug 8. Come celebrate 10 years of filth and fury!

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Photo by Leland Zaitz

Lastly, we’ve extended the deadline for the Forest of Forest of Casino Giveaway. What’s that? We’re giving away up to two free nights in an Indian Casino Hotel of your choice. (Seriously!) You now have up to Labor Day to enter so get to it and tell your friends! 

Forest of Fortune in Fiction Writers Review

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Tyler McMahon pens a thoughtful review of Forest of Fortune at Fiction Writers Review, an online literary journal with the noble mission of exploring “not only how fiction reads but how it works and why it matters.” An excerpt: 

In Forest of Fortune, Ruland combines the tropes of hardboiled crime fiction with the creepy appeal of a ghost story, and riffs on elements from addiction/recovery narratives. What results is an absolutely unique novel: smart, funny, and masterful in its characterization.

The Forest of Fortune book trailer is here! The trailer, directed by Santa Fe filmmaker Jason DeBoer, features blurbs by Patrick deWitt, Fiona Maazel, Scott O’Connor, Teresa Svoboda and Jerry Stahl, and music by Texas garage rockers Mind Spiders. The song “Haunted Casino” was written exclusively for Forest of Fortune.

“The Haunted Casino” was my working title for the book and while that sounds like a Nancy Drew mystery I used it because I never wanted to forget that the characters trapped inside of Thunderclap Casino were all haunted by one thing or another in ways that baffled them entirely.

I’ve been a fan of Mind Spiders since 2011 when they released their first album on Dirtnap Records so I’m thrilled to be able to work with Mark Ryan on this project. (You should buy all of their records now, especially this one.) They’re also featured on the cover of Razorcake #80. Incidentally, the name Mind Spiders comes from the science fiction short story “The Mind Spider” by Fritz Leiber. 

Enjoy and please share! 

Forest of Fortune in the L.A. Times

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It was such a thrill seeing this review of Forest of Fortune in today’s Los Angeles Times. Even though I’d read the review when it went online last week, this just felt different. It helps that it’s full of amazing quotes like this one:

Things are rotten in the state of Thunderclap. Or at least they are rotten for the people who wash up at the remote, desert Indian casino somewhere in the mountains inland of San Diego in Jim Ruland’s masterpiece of desperation, delusion and misdeeds, “Forest of Fortune.”