Tag Archives: forest of fortune

Forest of Fortune in Vol. 1 Brooklyn

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Tobias Carroll at Vol. 1 Brooklyn interviewed me about Forest of Fortune, Vermin on the Mount, and Famous Sailors. 

You recently decided to move to San Diego full-time. Do you anticipate this having any effect on your writing?

I hope so. Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve worked as a copywriter all my life and I’m taking a break from advertising for a bit. How long? I don’t know. I’m really looking forward to committing my time and energy to the things I’m most passionate about, which includes a new storytelling project with veteran writers called Famous Sailors. Maybe I’m being naïve. Maybe I’ll end up back at the casino. Maybe I’ll walk down to the Pacific and from there I’ll improvise. Who knows? San Diego has always been a great place for old sailors.

Forest of Fortune in Yay! L.A.

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Super grateful to Justin Maurer for interviewing me for Yay! L.A. Magazine.  Justin is a writer and former frontman for Clorox Girls, who made one of my all-time favorite records, and is always on the level. An excerpt:

What advice would you give to aspiring writers who may be struggling with writers block?

Read. Read your favorite writer. Read your favorite writer’s favorite writer. Read everything your writing teacher has ever written (especially if you don’t like your writing teacher). Read poetry. Read plays. Read comic books. Read toothpaste ingredients. The only thing you have no business reading is the biographies of famous writers unless you are a budding biographer of someone famous. Drive around town and look at all of the words and remind yourself that every book, movie, TV show, commercial, billboard, bus bench, graffiti, radio jingle, menu, soda can, everything that has words on it was written by someone and there is a place in all that madness for you.

SoCal Readings and Signings

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I’ve got three more Forest of Fortune events in SoCal this week before I hit the road in Sept and Oct. I’ll be giving away free t-shirts and gambling advice so come through.

LA: Sat 8/16 7pm at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. Annie will be there so I’ll keep it clean. Kids welcome, just not the crying kind.

SD: Sun 8/17 6pm at San Diego Writers, Ink at Liberty Station. I’m also teaching a workshop from 1-4pm and there are still a few spots available. 

LA: Tues 8/19 Book Soup in West Hollywood.

Alice’s Wonderlands

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In this week’s The Floating Library, I take a look at one of Forest of Fortune‘s major influences. Special thanks to David Rolland for indulging me.

When Alice was 20 years old, she was photographed by Julia Margaret Cameron. It’s a haunting image. Her hair isn’t blonde like she’s portrayed by Disney. In fact, her hair is very dark. Her features are blunt and somewhat androgynous-looking. She looks like someone who’s been down the rabbit hole and back or, at the very least, is less than fond of having her photograph taken. It more closely resembles a photo from the American frontier than Victorian England. 

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.