on life & other inconveniences

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Happy Holidays Meme

I have a new short story out, in the debut issue of Crooked and have done a short 'happy holidays' meme over at my blog.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Quick Updates

WHAT BURNS WITHIN makes another top 10 list, I'm interviewed at Shots and there's a news story that may be of interest to some who follow the series.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Best Of

Who thought Linda L. Richards, Tom Piccirilli, Christa Faust, Val McDermid, Anthony Neil Smith -and Sandra Ruttan?! - should get top honours? Check out this varied, cross-genre best of list contributed to by multiple authors and reviewers.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Dorothy L in my house

All I can say is, I'm glad I wasn't drinking during this conversation.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

No Return

Borders and HarperStudio have made a bold move to eliminate returns. I'll be curious to see how this plays out in the coming months.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Thought For The Day

While I ponder the Santa dilemma, I'm left wondering how someone who writes stories for a living isn't a better liar.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Breaking The Reading Drought

What book did I finish this week? Plus: jokes about Canada.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Wiretaps, Bailouts and The Need For Print Media

In the wake of news about Tribune Co filing for bankruptcy, and the NY Times trying to organize financing, I've started to pull together my thoughts on the potential disastrous loss of print media from our society.

Friday, December 05, 2008

True Confessions

Patti recently tagged me with Brian's reading meme, and as a result I've been prompted to post a confession about my reading habits this year, and also a challenge. I hope some people jump on board.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Canada's Government Will Stand

Breaking News: the Governor General has supported Harper's move to prorogue Parliament.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Stuff & Nonsense: Canadian Politics

When Canadian Politics is making the headlines on even CNN, something's up.

There's commentary, but really, I just wish everyone would take a deep breath...

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Canada, Eh?

Getting research right and getting it wrong, when it matters and when it doesn't, and a poll.

Friday, November 21, 2008

International Day of the Book

Let's hold it early this year - I have a challenge for you, as well as at least one decent excuse to use for justifying buying a book.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Globe and Mail review

THE FRAILTY OF FLESH has been reviewed in THE GLOBE AND MAIL, which I believe marks a significant milestone in my career to date.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Things You Wouldn't Believe

Donna Andrews, Viking. Woman killed by husband's coffin. And thoughts on a more serious subject.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Remembering and Forgetting

Thoughts and updates on a few things - the tragic end to the search for missing teenager Brandon Crisp, the launch of Russel D. McLean's debut novel, and a few other things here.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Awful Evolution

The title will make sense if you follow the links.

I need sleep. Who wakes up at 4:30 on a Saturday morning? That's just wrong...

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

The End is In Sight

So can all the low-lifes scurry back under the beer cans now? I hope so.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Friday's Forgotten Books

Over at the Wordpress blog.

What are they saying about THE FRAILTY OF FLESH?

"Sandra Ruttan's sequel to What Burns Within... is better than the first. A four-year-old is beaten to death in a park. The child's brother, hiding in the nearby brush, claims that his older sister killed the boy. Furthermore, the sister is missing.

"Criminous kids are bad enough, but Ruttan, a disciple of the Val McDermid school, takes things a bit further. To say more is to give away a terrific plot."

- Margaret Cannon, THE GLOBE AND MAIL

"The fallout from the last time their cases intersected still haunts the three major protagonists in this stark procedural. Each is haunted by major baggage that can't help but affect current cases. The talented Ruttan turns a spotlight on the gritty reality of law enforcement for these Canadian constables, and the result is truly convoluted and disturbing."

- Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Ruttan's complex web of dialogue and narrative leads us gradually deeper into the lives of those caught up in the crime, including the detectives, creating a distinctive and potent novel...

"In the gap before the relase of further installments in the series it would be interesting to go back and reread the first two novels, to dig deeper into things only partly revealed about the three detectives and even about the cases already investigated. Ruttan's ability to pique the curiosity of the reader even about novels already read once (and even read recently) is a testament to the intricacy of her stories and the depth of her characters."

- Glenn Harper, International Noir Fiction

"Ruttan is Ian Rankin with ovaries."

- Jen Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

"The Frailty of Flesh is not only one of the best procedural thrillers I've read in a long time... but the ending knocked me right out of my seat."

- Crime Scene Scotland

"The Frailty of Flesh raises difficult questions and shuns easy answers. Sandra Ruttan writes with passion and honesty about every parent’s worst nightmare and the result is an emotionally wrenching experience."

- Sean Chercover, Shamus Award-Winning author of Big City, Bad Blood

"The complexity of the relationships among the players as well as the cases, past and present, are riveting. Whatever one might guess as to where the author is taking you, nothing can prepare the reader for the shocking resolution.

"The three protagonists are each skillfully drawn and certain to have Ms. Ruttan's readers anxious to know them better."

-
Mystery Morgue

OUT NOW!

Order from BARNES & NOBLE.

What are they saying about
WHAT BURNS WITHIN?

"Well worth adding to any mystery collection."
-- Library Journal

"Ruttan manages to keep multiple leads and seconds on the same page admirably... the straight proceduralism from Ruttan serves the story well through the rewarding climax."
--Publishers Weekly

"A sizzling story by one of crime fiction's hot new voices."
-- Rick Mofina, internationally best-selling author of A PERFECT GRAVE

"This story features a triple mystery and three main characters, who are interesting not only for their tangled group dynamic but also as individuals. The subject matter obviously is very grim, but the occasional banter between the constables helps to take the edge off. This is a good start to a new series I think will appeal to a variety of mystery lovers."
--Fresh Fiction

"Sandra Ruttan writes with utter ferocity. Twists and turns that stun and dialog that absolutely crackles with wit and authenticity. With each page, Ruttan delivers the goods. WHAT BURNS WITHIN is a nonstop chiller of a mystery that keeps you turning the pages."
-- GREGG OLSEN, New York Times Bestselling Author of A WICKED SNOW

"Promising talent Ruttan sets her gritty new detective series in Vancouver. It has a hard-edged feel and intriguing characters. ...this is a good start to an intriguing series."
--Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Short and snappy chapters, terse dialogue, staccato delivery of minimalist descriptions -- Ruttan's style harks back to the classic hardboiled era....Ruttan is very much a shower rather than a teller: there are very few internal monologues to be heard in WHAT BURNS WITHIN, the subtleties of the characters' complex psychologies being drawn out through their interactions with their colleagues. That's a difficult skill to make invisible, but it's one of Ruttan's most effective weapons."
--Declan Burke, Crime Always Pays

"Ruttan effortlessly brings to life a varied cast of complex characters. She writes with tremendous passion, honesty and skill. This is a story you will care about."
-- Allan Guthrie, Edgar Nominated Author of KISS HER GOODBYE

“Ruttan combines devilishly clever plots with genuinely empathic characters..."
--Russel D. McLean, Crime Scene Scotland

"A totally mesmerizing narrative and a plot that burns off the page."
-- Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-Winning Author of THE GUARDS

“WHAT BURNS WITHIN reads like a favorite television series. A large cast, lots of dialogue to advance the plot, a great setting, and well-drawn characters make for a compelling police procedural.”
-- Anne Frasier, USA Today Bestselling Author of HUSH, SLEEP TIGHT & PLAY DEAD

Available on Amazon.