Wednesday, May 14, 2014

SAVAGE SUMMER by Ruth Bainbridge Interview

Mystery/Thriller

Date Published: February 28, 2014
    

“When life gives you lemons … be sure to spit the pits out of that lemonade you’re making. Otherwise you’ll choke.” – Curt Savage

The past year has not been a good one for Curt Savage. Depressed over the death of a loved one, he’s gone into hiding, becoming entirely too comfortable with saying that he’s in the Witness Protection Program. But the urge to find that elusive killer puts his MIA status on hold. With the help of his new buddy Mike, he delves into the murky world of tracking down a killer — and uncovering who poisoned a neighbor’s dog.

SAVAGE SUMMER is the first in the Curt Savage mystery series. Going from former cop to private dick, he represents a new kind of detective—the reluctant kind. As his best bud Mike puts it, “Private investigation just got Savage.”



VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR - May 12 - June 23


Ruth Bainbridge

Born in the idyllic, sleepy town of Ithaca, NY, Ruth Bainbridge has been a lover of mysteries for her entire life.
Ever since a child, she has consumed detective stories at regular intervals, becoming enamored with all the superstars of crime. She loved nothing more than to match wits with the likes of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Thomas Pitt, Lord Peter Wimsey, Richard Jury and Edward X Delaney, becoming inspired by their brilliance. Hoping to emulate her writing idol’s achievements in dreaming up such characters, she started composing her own short stories.
However, life interfered with her plans of becoming the next hopeful to try a life of crime—on paper at least. Devoting herself to her marriage and the raising of four children, the empty nest syndrome gave her the impetus to return to her first love—murder.
SAVAGE SUMMER is Ms. Bainbridge’s debut novel. It introduces Curtis Owen Savage into the world of ink and fury. Savage is engaged and about to be married when the brutal murder of his fiancée sends the world crashing down around him. Depressed, he isolates himself to better deal with the pain, but his beloved Ruthie won’t leave him alone. Haunting him with her presence, he becomes obsessed with finding her killer, and making him pay for taking her away.
With the help of a quirky friend and an old colleague, he takes his first steps, but the poisoning of a next door neighbor’s dog lands him his first case—and into a new profession. Hired as a private detective, he navigates through a complex series of clues to discover why someone attempted to kill the black Pomeranian. In the midst of trying to track down the motive, he receives his first anonymous phone call from a phantom who insists he knows secrets about his fiancé’s death. Dubbing the caller Dr. Shadows, the tidbits scattered become the breadcrumbs that lead Savage down a dark rabbit hole that was never meant to be discovered.
Her next planned project is MURDER MOST FOWL. Alex “Trout” Matthews, is a former NYC detective. Now retired, he moves to the town of PortsmithIdaho so he can focus on his one passion—fishing. But as Ruth puts it, “Murder rarely leaves an inquisitive mind alone for long.” He soon finds himself pulled back in the stream of things and knee-deep in mystery.

May 14th interview
by Ruth Bainbridge

Where are you from?
I’m from upstate New York. While my family lived in a residential neighborhood, I had relatives who owned farms. It was such a treat when I got a chance to visit. I turned their profitable business into a petting zoo. I hovered like a hummingbird between the cows, chickens, pigs and rabbits. I loved those bunnies. They were kept in the barn so I’d settle down in the hay and just stroke the babies. It was very calming and peaceful.

Tell us your latest news?
The latest news is that I’ve begun book two of the Curt Savage series. It’s called Savage Fall and I’m writing up a storm. I hope to finish by the end of this year, but you never know. The best laid plans do go astray, but that’s my goal.

When and why did you begin writing?
I began fairly young … I believe in the third grade. I was a voracious reader so that undoubtedly played into it. I started mostly to entertain myself. I’d get these ideas and just go with the flow. The strange thing was that although I was writing and drawing in every spare moment I had, I was still upset with myself for not being creative. I don’t know why I didn’t consider myself creative, but I didn’t.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I got serious about it. Once you adopt a professional mindset, your actions fall in line behind the directive. In my case, it meant not only dreaming about the idea of the Curtis Savage series, but actually sitting down and making it happen. It takes a lot of discipline to adhere to a schedule, but if you do, you’ll produce a work you’re proud of. 

What inspired you to write your first book?
It’s always my inner muse speaking to me. I think writers are the only people to openly admit hearing voices in their head. I know I always have, and chatter is always my characters begging to be heard.

Do you have a specific writing style?
This particular series is written in a Roman noir style, but the other series I’m working on is not. It’s more homey and down-to-earth, adhering to the personality of the lead character Alex Trout.

How did you come up with the title?
The title of a work usually sweeps in with the story idea. It’s sort of an all-in-one type of thing. Think monsoon. So it was Curt Savage and Savage Summer. They were tied together with a big red bow.

What would you like my readers to know?
That I’m passionate about mysteries. I selected a very emotional issue, the murder of Curt’s fiancé, as the underlying theme of this series. Through all his misadventures in solving his client’s problems, it’s Ruth Warwick’s death he wants to unravel. Who killed her? Why? And why did they choose such a heinous way to end her young life? Who could hate her that much?

Savage Summer offers fantastic characters and some sobering issues. The characters travel on a journey that takes them in directions that are surprising, shocking and unsettling. There’s a lot in store and I know they’ll be hooked if they take the plunge. 

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