about me

UPDATE September 2011- I am well and thriving after a rough start to the year in the hospital and a recovery... and regrouping of mind, body and spirit.

I have self-published 'Base Spirits'. It's now available on Smashwords, and soon on Amazon Kindle. Do check my blog or follow on Twitter for updates and places to find the book!

I will check in to keep in contact with friends. I am not active here, and my book is no longer posted.

Thanks to all who supported and encouraged my writing. See you in there real world! And advice to those playing the Autho game: don't take it too seriously. Don't be blindly pushy in order to rise to the top. That doesn't equal success. Be friendly, be supportive, give and take advice and make friends. The rest is gravy (and some of the battles and ego trips are just silly. Avoid at all costs!)

About me:

Having been an actor for an eternity, I decided to write fiction as another way of telling stories and inhabiting characters. I have published numerous short stories of quirky mainstream fiction as well as erotica under a pen name.

I am a graduate of Trent University, LAMDA and the Humber School for Writers, where I had the privilege to study under the guidance of Peter Carey. 'Base Spirits' is my first full-length work. The novel evolved from a play I performed in-- 'A Yorkshire Tragedy'-- and subsequent visits to the Old Hall in Calverley. I have chosen to set the historic content within the contemporary framework of a ghost story.

Meantime, other newbie authors might enjoy a stroll around my new blog (see below)-- I am writing a sort of chronicle about the self-publishing route. It shall be simply chock full to the brim with helpful tips and spectacular pratfalls...

And I'm also now officially Twtitterpated, should you care to connect.

favourite books

Atonement-- Ian McEwan
Not Wanted on the Voyage-- Timothy Findley
A Fine Balance-- Rohinton Mistry
Slammerkin-- Emma Donoghue
Fingersmith-- Sarah Waters
Winter's Tale-- Mark Helprin
The Crimson Petal and the White-- Michel Faber
Mr. Timothy-- Louis Bayard
Oscar and Lucinda-- Peter Carey
Fall on Your Knees-- Ann-Marie MacDonald
Larry's Party-- Carol Shields
The Girls-- Lori Lansens
Bleak House-- Charles Dickens
Wuthering Heights-- Emily Bronte
The Works of William Shakepspeare

my websites

http://ruth-barrett-spiritedwords.blogspot.com/     http://twitter.com/#!/LadyCalverley