Ruth Amanda is no stranger to hunting geckos! She went on her own adventures as a child and taught the love of searching for critters in the garden first to her children, and now to her grandchildren. She doesn’t limit herself to hunting geckos, writing and art. She also loves to hunt for and photograph snails, slugs, ants, millipedes, monkeys, seagulls, puffins and any other unfortunate wildlife who happen to be discovered by the paparazzi. She is currently turning several of those creatures into characters for future works…coming soon!
Ruth lives in Barbados with her husband, David, who she met while she was living in the arctic and he was living in Vancouver. Though they don’t currently have any pets, Ruth has named every bird at the birdfeeder—and, of course, several geckos! Her favourite gecko is Stumpy, who likes to live dangerously and is often seen re-growing his tail (There may be more than one Stumpy. It’s rather hard to tell the geckos apart when they are vanishing at high speed!).
About Geckos in the Garden
Is there anything more fun than hunting for geckos in your garden? This delightful counting book, told in whimsical rhyming couplets, invites readers to explore the wonder and joy of tromping through nature to look for geckos.
There’s one on the patio! And another in the shrubs! Before you know it, the whole morning will go by happily hunting geckos. Readers will find one, two, three, four… well, you get the idea. Geckos are everywhere, and they’re oh so much fun to discover.
Available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, the Friesen Press bookshop, and stores near you.
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Why do you write in the genre(s) that you do?
I write children’s picture books because I love the way children’s imaginations work. I enjoy seeing their faces light up as the possibilities within a story start to develop in their minds.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I always have a notebook or journal handy to jot down ideas as they come to me. In a pinch, I use the “Notes” feature on my iPhone, but usually there’s a notebook handy in my bag or backpack in which to scribble out ideas.
Sometimes the scribble is a few lines. Sometimes the scribble is an idea, “What would happen if…?” Sometimes the scribble is a rough sketch of a character that comes to me based on something I saw (and, yes, that character is sometimes a very badly drawn stick man…).
Do you have a muse?
I do not have a specific muse. I choose to find inspirations in the everyday mundane details of life. You see an infestation of snails in your garden, but I see a gathering of the MacSnails and MacSlugs. There will game games. There will be singing. There will be…slime likely!
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
I love typewriters, but as we have downsized and are often travelling now, I have switched my allegiance to my trusty laptop keyboard. Nothing replaces the pencil and notebook for the first idea, however. The laptop is where they get transformed into solid forms where I can track the changes I’ve made.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
Honestly, why can’t I do both? I would love to own a bookstore but have a drop off where people can leave books to be shared with people who can’t afford to buy them. I love finding new homes for old books and recommending them to someone who hasn’t seen them before!
How do you name your characters? Or, if you write non-fiction and had to change names, how did you change the names?
Sometimes the character just comes with a name into my head and introduces themself. But usually, I create the character and then search through baby name books and websites for names with meanings that match my character’s personality traits.
For example, if my character is very brave and going on a quest, I will search names with meanings like “lion,” “brave,” or “warrior.” Then, I compile a list of ones that I like the sound of and I play around with them until one “sticks.”
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
For anything, I think Morgan Freeman has the perfect narration voice, and I also love the voice of Emily Blunt. For the book, Geckos in the Garden, I would be inclined toward a younger narrator or child actor like Priah Ferguson. She’s just feisty!
How many words or pages do you typically write in one writing session?
Typically, as I’m doing children’s books, that word count is 1,000 or less of story, and about another 1000 words in character descriptions and ideas for illustrations.
When I sit down to write something more adult oriented, I can pound out 3,000 words in a couple of hours. I typically then pause for a couple of hours then go back and reread and tweak for a couple of hours.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Nothing formal but I tend to get myself some small snacky bits organized for munching on and a drink. Then I get comfy with my feet up and start picking at one of the many ideas scribbled in my notebook.
What do you like to read? How often do you read?
I read all the time. I read news articles, novels, other children’s books, advertisements…I particularly like advertisements. Some good stuff there to build a whole story around!
My preference in children’s books runs to Robert Munsch, Mercer Mayer, and Melanie Watt, among others. Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl is a new favourite tale for me.
I am also one of the biggest fans of the late Sir Terry Pratchett and all things Discworld, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, and the Wee Free Men/Tiffany Aching books. I also love historical fiction by the likes of Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
I have not made any public appearances to promote the book as yet.
Who would you most want to read your book?
I am hoping that parents and grandparents get cozy with their littles and have a good read. I also hope that later on they go outside to see what they find in their garden!
Is there a piece of writing advice that you learned in school or in a class that stuck?
The old cliché of “write what you know.” Since I chose to never truly grow up, I write about what I know. Kids. Adventures. Imagination. Bugs and crawly things. Magic.
Is there an idea that a non-writer pitched to you that you have considered writing?
Yes, but I can’t tell you because I’m working on it right now…
Do you like to physically write on paper?
My notebook is where I physically write all my first runs and ideas. Keyboards are for rewrites and tracking changes I make to the story so I can revert if I like.
What is your ideal writing space?
I prefer to be outside in the sunshine. So, I am often found working away on projects, both writing and illustrations, out on our patio. The joys of using a laptop means I can do most of my email and editing from outside as well.
I find that the sunshine, flowers and fresh air just really help things flow for me. On the slightly rainy, misty days, I find the writing flows just as well but the stories tend to be quieter and more introspective than adventurous.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
The most annoying thing a non-writer has assumed is that my book won’t be good as other children’s books because it’s self-published. I would say no, it’s not as good as other children’s books—it may be better to one reader, and worse to another. But then, each children’s book is special by its own merits and dependent on the reader.
I had three sons. The books one thought were amazing, the other two disliked or found disappointing. And vice versa. Decide on the merits of the book after reading it. Don’t dislike it just because it wasn’t picked up by a traditional publisher.
I still went through all the steps. There were editors involved who critiqued and helped improve my story. There were designers who helped shape my drawings around my words. There were publicity people who helped guide me through things like the website and social media. I took this as seriously as if it was picked up by a traditional publisher.
How do you measure the success of your book?
I measure the success of my book in the smiles and giggles it gets from my granddaughter and other children. I like to take rough drafts with me when going out and about.
If a child needs distracting, I offer to read them a story or show them a book and then I watch carefully to see what they think (I make these drafts in PowerPoint, complete with draft illustrations, and print them out). The critics may say what they like, but the only ones I listen to are under the age of 10!
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