AOTW- Ayla Ruse

Ayla Ruse

About the Author: Handed a historical romance at the age of twelve, Ayla Ruse fell in love with love and with happy endings. Having grown up living life tasting a little of this and a little of that has not changed this attitude, but it's expanded her views. Love isn't always happy and it isn't always the way a person "thinks it should be." Sometimes it's outside the box, and it's always a challenge.

The challenge of finding and holding onto this love is what drives Ayla in her fiction. She likes stories that strip love -– among other things -- down to the skin and tests the attachment and beliefs of the participants. Sometimes that test can come in the form of multiple partners, overcoming a desperate fear or even being sexually inventive.

Ayla is published with Changeling Press and with Total E-Bound. You can contact her through her blog aylaruse.blogspot.com.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Interview with Ayla Ruse

Ayla Ruse is author of The Deciding Factor and Malathix Soul: Soulless.

HP: Ayla before we get started can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Ayla Ruse: Let’s see… I’m a stay-at-home Mom (and teacher) to three amazing little boys. To say I stay busy is an understatement, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My husband encourages my writing, for which I’m grateful, and when I’m not dealing with the multitude of people in my life, I love to read, listen to music, and cook. I also love being outdoors when the weather cooperates, especially during the fall. Summertime and I do not get along very well, so we tolerate one another until, like a dog barking at the mailman, the heat goes on its way and allows me to claim victory in its leaving.   

HP: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Ayla Ruse: I’ve always known. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write. I take that back, for a period of time in college, I dreamed of being an actress, but even then, ideas for plays would slither into my mind. I credit my desire to be a writer to my grandfather. He was an author, and he always encouraged my creativity with the added push of “now get it published!” As a kid, I remember seeing his desk, bare of all except paper and pens. So simple, yet so powerful. Knowing that his job was all about telling stories, absolutely amazed me, and drew me in to want the same.

HP: What do your family/friends think of your writing?

Ayla Ruse: Although everyone who knows me, knows I want to be a published writer, very few family and friends actually know that I am a published writer. The ones who do know are very supportive and positive, from which I thrive. As for those who don’t know, it’s a toss-up as to their reactions, so for now, I keep mum.

HP: Can you tell us a little bit about your novel, The Deciding Factor?

Ayla Ruse: The Deciding Factor is very dear to me, as this was my first published novel. This is a contemporary erotic romance delving into the development of a ménage relationship. In this story you meet Aly, Sawyer and Luke. Sawyer and Luke, Aly’s ex-college lover and ex-high school boyfriend, respectfully, both want Aly, but she refuses to choose between them. On a frustrated whim, she throws out the idea of a threesome, and is shocked when they agree. Very quickly, they realize what they have is more than a one-night stand. Now they find themselves struggling with new boundaries, jealousies as well as uncertainties about each other and their future. Tough decisions of the heart, as well as the head, have to made before happiness can be found.   

HP: How did you come up with the idea for the novel?

Ayla Ruse: Forgive me, but I am laughing uproariously right now. The story idea I began with is worlds away from what The Deciding Factor is today. I am an extended writer – I guess that would be an apt term? I began with an idea – in this case, the school where Aly moonlights – and I have to work and rework and rework it again to get it right. My first attempt of TDF was more of a BDSM story, but the pieces didn’t quite fit together. For example, in the first version, Sawyer was a villain who treated Aly horribly. Luckily, I found the imposter, kicked him out on his rear, and allowed the real Sawyer to step in. Little by little, I continued to work on the kinks (pun intended if you want) until I was happy with “The End.” 

HP: Your novella Malathix Soul: Soulless just came out last month, can you tell us a little bit about it and what your inspiration/idea for the novella was?

Ayla Ruse: I’ll answer backward. My inspiration for Soulless came from my music. When I listen to music of any kind, I weave the song’s lyrics, melody, and rhythm into running stories in my head. Some are more vivid than others. There was one song that had a line that would not leave me. “I lost my soul when I fell to Earth,” from Monster Magnet’s Space Lord. I started thinking of this in literal terms and what it would take for this to happen. Thus began the story for Soulless. This story is a dark, futuristic erotic novella. Theradon, a Malathix alien, literally lost his soul when he and his crew crash-landed on Earth. Without a soul, a Malathix has little control over the destructive beast housed within him. The heroine, Laya, has seen what happens when the beasts are unleashed and wants nothing to do with any of them. She doesn’t understand why Theradon keeps following her, but she’s tired of trying to run away. In Soulless, she confronts him and discovers not only another side of herself, but also why she is so important to his survival.

HP: You have another novella set to come out in this series called Malathix Soul: Broken. Do you think you can tell us a little bit about it and/or when you think it will come out?

Ayla Ruse: As of this writing, Malathix Soul 2: Broken, is set to release with Changeling Press on August 12. This novella is set a few months after Soulless takes place and it involves Theradon’s brother, Thorn. In Broken, Thorn is on his way to Earth to retrieve his lost brother. Thorn has no idea what’s happened to Theradon or his crew, and to say Thorn is a little upset with this out-of-his-way pitstop is an understatement. All he wants to do is find his brother alive and return to Malathix, so he can turn his attention to more important matters like saving his dying species. Yvette, to her great shame, is a human-alien half breed. Pushed beyond measure at her job as an interplanetary liaison, she decides to escort the hot, towering, intense Malathix male to Earth. As they pass through the atmosphere, however, Thorn unexpectedly shifts into his beast, and Yvette is filled with an inner pain that nearly knocks her out. Their troubles are compounded when they have to fight not only their growing desire for each other, but the fact that they cannot physically be more than a short distance away from the other. Through the story, they discover they each have the capability to mend the other, inside and out, but will the challenge be more than either can bear?

HP: Do you think you will write more in the Malathix Soul? Also where did “Malathix Soul” as a name come from? Does it have any special or specific meaning?

Ayla Ruse: Yes. I am, in fact, working on a third (fingers crossed) Malathix story. Curious to know what happens to Camden? So am I. As for more stories after this, we’ll see. No one’s jumped out at me yet, but who knows? 

The series title came from an intense night of brainstorming, but it fits very well, I think. The base theme of all the stories is that should, if and when a Malathix alien comes through Earth’s atmosphere, his soul is painfully ripped from his body, leaving him with little to no control over his inner, real, beast. The heroines in these stories hold the key to the Malathix control and ultimately, the happiness of each other.

HP: Is there any particular reason you picked futuristic setting for your novella or did it just come to be?

Ayla Ruse: As the idea for these stories developed, a futuristic setting slid right in. I didn’t necessarily plan it this way, want it this way, or work it this way, but as the stories evolved, I knew the events had to happen in a future date. Just like thinking of snow and winter, a Malathix and the future always went together.

HP: Do you have any plans to write another series or maybe in another genre one day like YA?

Ayla Ruse: Oh, another series? (Biting my lip) I do have ideas, more in a contemporary setting, but we’ll see. No firm plans as of this date. My next few stories I’m working on are pretty much singles.

As for another genre, definitely! I don’t know about YA, but I’ve put down notes for a Fantasy, and I’d really love to write a killer horror story. This particular muse scares me sometimes, though, so horror may be awhile in the future.

HP: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?  

Ayla Ruse: Not sure if you’d call it a quirk, but more an aggravation. My most successful writing comes after I’ve been sitting {in front of my computer} a good 30 minutes to an hour, uninterrupted and pretty much doing nothing. Being surrounded by people all day, my muse has learned that to come out full blast is murder to my creativity, so it tends to mull around until it knows no one is going to come ask me for a snack, if they can go next door, where a missing shoe is. It’s frustrating because when I do get “alone,” I want to start writing right away. I’ve learned to take this delay in stride, but it’s irritating nonetheless. 

HP: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Ayla Ruse: This may sound weird, but the most surprising thing I’ve learned is how difficult, and how easy, it is to finish a story.

HP: Has any new author sparked your interest if so, who?  

Ayla Ruse: Whew. Let me think. Sadly, I’ve not been able to read too much lately. My TBR pile looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Still, I’ve recently read Elle Jasper and Darynda Jones and loved – I mean Loved – their books. And although not “new,” I will say that authors like Cherise Sinclair, Nalini Singh and James Rollins are auto-buys for me.

HP: Where can we purchase you works?

Ayla Ruse: At this time, The Deciding Factor can be purchased directly through the publisher, Total E-Bound, as well as practically every e-bookseller out there like Amazon, ARE and Fictionwise.

Malathix Soul1: Soulless, and the upcoming release Malathix Soul 2: Broken, can be purchased through Changeling Press.

HP: Do you have anything you would like to say to readers?

Ayla Ruse: Thank you for reading! As a reader, I like to lose myself in stories an author creates. It’s my personal, private escape and enjoyment. My hope is that I can elicit the same for someone else.

HP: What do you like to do when you're not writing?  

Ayla Ruse: *Chuckle.* I do A LOT. Taking care of kids, parents, animals, the husband and home…I could write my own story of what I do, but to make it simple, how about what do I like to do when I’m not writing? I like to spend time with my family and friends, listen to music, try not to over-stress myself (so I read a lot), and mostly, I try to enjoy every moment of each day that I can.

HP: Thanks for being here Ayla!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Books by Ayla Ruse
Malathix Soul Series
#1: Soulless

Single Titles
The Deciding Factor

Coming Soon
Malathix Soul: Broken-- Expected Publication Date: August 12th 2011 from Changeling Press

Also find Ayla at:
Facebook
Goodreads
Her blog