Can’t wait to participating in Lit Crawl San Francisco next month. I’ll be reading with the Lip Service West showcase on October 17 at Blondie’s Bar at 540 Valencia Street from 6pm to 7pm, which is Phase 1 of the world’s largest pub crawl, which goes on until 9:30 throughout San Francisco. Hope to see you there!
Forest of Fortune has been out for little over a year but I have a bit of news to share: I spoke with San Diego writer Karen Stefano at Rare Bird Radio about her book, The Secret Games of Words, casino life and our mutual friend Bud Smith. Then check out this new review of Forest of Fortune at The Amazing Store.
Join me for the launch of Steph Cha’s DEAD SOON ENOUGH, the third installment of the Juniper Song series, on Wednesday August 12 at Skylight Books at 7:30. I’ll be interviewing the author about her new novel, her process, and what’s in store for Juniper Song.
Never forget.
Many thanks to Teagan Knoblich for interviewing me for her radio show at Minnesota State university, Mankato. The 20-minute show is archived here and includes two short readings and a brief discussion of the casino biz. Check it out.
Tobias Carroll at Vol. 1 Brooklyn profiles This Is Not a Camera alongside Tiff Zilla and Anne Carson in his Zinophile column.
Some of the pieces are observational, with notes about the work environment itself or explorations of minutiae that one might encounter in that realm. Others use the setting to examine larger issues: questions of national identity and immigration policy among them. And there are a few others where Ruland recounts bits of relevant history; he’s an excellent storyteller, and there’s a lot to enjoy here.
You can still get a copy of This Is Not a Camera for under a buck (or pay what you want, IDC).
In addition to Wednesday’s reading at Gatsby’s Books in Long Beach, I’ll be reading Saturday night at Book Soup with Nathan Deuel, James Claffey, Garrett Socol and Ron Parsons. This event will be hosted by Tia Reeser in collaboration with Aqueous Books, Ampersand Books and Prick of the Spindle.
Forest of Fortune was featured in Reviewing the Evidence, which focuses on crime and mystery fiction. An excerpt.
Ruland takes us on a wild ride of sex, drugs, and indie rap music as we watch these lives and those of all the minor characters around them spiral out of control, leading to a dramatic climax and a not-unhappy ending. Yes, even in this bleak, lawless world, there are a few glimmers of hope – and plenty of reasons to applaud Ruland’s debut novel.
Yes, indie rap music. Read the rest of the review.
Pleased to announce that Forest of Fortune was named Best Contemporary Fiction by the 2015 San Diego Book Awards. Giving the Finger, the book I co-wrote with Scott Campbell, Jr. tied for first in the Best Memoir category. Incredibly grateful to the San Diego Book Awards Association for the double honor! Forest of Fortune is now available in paperback, hardcover and ebook editions. Giving the Finger is available via hardcover, ebook and audio book.
I’m back in California and that means Vermin on the Mount returns to its irregular programming with two irreverent events. Plus, the last Forest of Fortune event at Warwick’s Book.