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Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

Hi everyone! I’m pleased to be doing this interview, and I hope it helps you to gain a bit more perspective of me as an indie author. I write under the non de plume, Rusty Blackwood, and it’s an honour to meet each of you. I write in four genres, poetry, children’s short stories, adult comedy, and romantic fiction drama, my favourite genre, and the one for which I am best known. I became a serious writer in 2001, and published my very first piece in 2009, titled Feelings: A Rhythmic Journey in Thought, a first collection of traditional and contemporary poetry that is no longer available nor are these three titles that followed, Young Minds, Passion in Paris: Connections to the Past, and Passion in Paris: Directions of the Heart. However, the contents of these publications were republished under different titles with additional content, and all are available on Amazon along with the many titles I have since published. I invite you to check them out: Impressions, poetry, Through the Eyes of Innocence, a children’s short story collection, my Derwood Tugbottom Comedy series, and my romantic fiction dramas, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, Willow’s Walk, The Perils of Autumn, Return to Autumn Pt 1, and Return to Autumn Pt 2 which will be releasing this coming March. I love to write, I have always loved to write, it is my passion, and I reap the greatest satisfaction from it whenever I’m contacted by a reader who has enjoyed my work. As a professional writer and author, I find this the most rewarding of all. I grew up on my paternal grandfather’s farm in rural south-western Ontario, Canada, and have resided in the Niagara area of southern Ontario since 1985. I invite you to visit and check out my official website https://rusty-blackwood.com for more information surrounding me, my work.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Return to Autumn”?

Return to Autumn is the first part of a 5-star-awarded, two-part sequel to The Perils of Autumn that was published by Tellwell Talent Publishing in 2019. While writing The Perils of Autumn, which garnered me not only a 5-star rating from Readers Favorite Books, it was awarded one of six Finalist in Romance awards for the 2019’s International Book Awards in Los Angles, CA, along with the 2019’s American Book Fest Best Book Awards, also out of Los Angles. When I was writing The Perils of Autumn, I had decided to extend the story because I wanted to say more, as well as introduce a few new characters into the drama, and to do so would have turned the novel into another grand scale, like my 2013 romantic fiction drama release, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, that of which included the original 2-part Passion in Paris that I revised while including new content. I realized that title was going to become a grand scale while creating it, however, I wanted to tell the story in one novel. It did well enough, garnering a 4-star rating from Amazon, but I also experienced the pitfalls of publishing a grand scale, which was why I decided to write the continuation of The Perils of Autumn into a two-part sequel, that I published myself with the assistance of my long-time Publicist/Producer, Don McCauley. My projected timeframe for the release of the sequel was 2020, but that was unfortunately interrupted by the pandemic, and I finally fulfilled this goal on November 16, 2022, with the release of Return to Autumn Part 1; the second part, Return to Autumn Part 2 will be released this coming March.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

There are so many, however, I love descriptive prose that can sweep you into the pages and hold you within throughout the entire story. This isn’t always found, but when it is, it is enthralling. One of my very favourite authors is my fellow Niagara author, Gina Iafrate, a fantastic weaver of words set in exotic places that hold you captive from page one through to the last page.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

I adore Prince Edward Island located off the east coast of Canada between the Northumberland Strait, and the Atlantic ocean. This small, engaging island is a writer’s dream, or for that matter, any person in the Arts or who loves the Arts in their many favorable forms. This beautiful island is Canadian authoress Lucy Maude Montgomery’s birthplace, and it’s not difficult to see why her descriptive writings were so captivating. The red clay soil, open blue skies, and the Atlantic ocean sprawled at your feet. I have spent memorable time there, and I have never been disappointed.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

This question is a bit difficult to answer, as the majority of the fourteen titles I’ve published so far contain their own story and characters, with the exception of the original two-part Passion in Paris, my Derwood Tugbottom Comedy series, and my ‘Autumn series’ consisting of The Perils of Autumn, Return to Autumn Part 1, and the coming Return to Autumn Part 2, which I’ve already written. I usually begin with creating the characters to live in an idea I’ve conjured from my mind. I often borrow a lot from my own life experiences, and through doing so, make the stories uniquely my own.

Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘The Perils of Autumn’?

It took me the better part of two years. I had released Peril’s forerunner, Willow’s Walk, in the summer of 2015, briefly called it back for a swift revision, and then reissued it in early 2016. It was after that that I began The Perils of Autumn, so I would say 2017, and it was released in January of 2019.

Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?

My work is available on all Amazons in Kindle and paperback – The Perils of Autumn is also available in Hardback, certain titles, including The Perils of Autumn are available at Barnes and Noble, and Indigo. All available titles may be obtained at all Indigo order desks, and in Niagara area, paperback copies of The Perils of Autumn, and Return to Autumn Part 1, are exclusively available at Lakeshore Books & Art in Ridgeway, Ontario.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Return to Autumn’?

I wanted the cover of Return to Autumn Pt 1 to reflect and retain the equestrian theme of The Perils of Autumn. I had found a photograph that fit this purpose beautifully, so I purchased it, and my producer designed and completed the cover. I used the same method in coming up with the title for Return to Autumn, as that is what the reader is doing, returning to Autumn Leeves-Landon, the protagonist, for whom the story revolves.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I very often have more than one writing project in progress as I find that it helps to keep each one fresh, especially if I find myself in a bogged-down area. By stepping away from the project to work on something different I find helps me put things in prospective when I return. I can’t speak for other writers, but that process has always worked for me. This process also helps to keep my readers entertained through the four genres that I write.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book ‘The Perils of Autumn’ (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Landon Lawns’ exclusive jockey, Duff Taylor, continues to build on his page of deceptive, under-handed, disgusting secrets. As time continues, the page grows longer, and much of it revolves around his despicable actions involving Autumn, who is the wife of English equestrian master Cyril Landon, the owner of Landon Lawns Stables, and Autumn’s husband. As stable foreman William Brown, and Manfred Montgomery, head groom and trainer, continue to uncover the jockey’s secrets, Duff doubles down, determined he will not be exposed. Through doing so, his vile actions threaten Autumn along with the flawless reputation of Landon Lawns Stables.

Rusty Blackwood on Amazon