Ruth Ware, a bestselling author from England, will be part of a special presentation June 26 at the Historic Artcraft Theatre. She’ll discuss her books, writing thrillers and other topics, as well as taking questions from the audience.
SUBMITTED PHOTO | GEMMA DAY PHOTOGRAPHY
With every twist and turn, a new mystery.
Ruth Ware didn’t start out aiming to write thrillers. Though she had spent nearly her entire life writing, her focus had been on nearly every other genre — from sci-fi to romance to literary fiction.
But after trying her hand at writing a crime novel, she found the process exhilarating.
“I love the cerebral puzzle of reading and writing a crime novel, where you’re setting up a puzzle for the reader to solve,” she said. “There’s some back and forth — will they second guess you? Will you manage to trick them? But you also get a strong emotional story to go with it.”
Ware has followed her instincts for mystery and built a successful career of best-selling books. Her thrillers include “In a Dark,” “Dark Wood” and “The Woman in Cabin 10,” which have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. Her works have been optioned for both film and TV, and she is published in more than 40 languages.
With her new release, “Zero Days,” Ware dives into the story of Jack, a security specialist who breaks into buildings for a living. When she comes home from a routine job gone wrong, she finds her husband dead and the police closing in on their own suspect — her. She needs to tap into her skills to clear her name and find the real killer.
Ware will be discussing “Zero Days,” and her writing in general, during a special event June 26 at the Historic Artcraft Theatre. She’ll sit down for a discussion with Ashley Flowers, the founder and chief executive creative officer of audiochuck, an award-winning podcast production company known for its standout storytelling across different genres.
Prior to the event, Ware took time to talk about her drive as a writer, the process of making a mystery and meeting fans from around the world.
What drew you towards writing in the first place?
I was always a storyteller — right from when I was a little girl. I was always telling my little sister stories about our toys and kind of coming up with these really intricate plots. Then they got longer and longer as I got older; I started writing them down when I went to school. My mom went back to college when I was 7 or 8 and did a typing qualification, so I began typing my stories out on her typewriter, which felt really exciting, like making little books.
At what point did you decide to focus on it as a career?
It took me until my 30s to really knuckle down and decide — if this was something that I wanted to make a place for in my life, I needed to take it more seriously and sending it out for publication. And here we are.
What was it about thrillers that you were drawn towards?
I’d always loved reading thrillers and crime novels, but it wasn’t until I was having coffee with a friend and we were swapping book recommendations and talking about what we’ve read. She had just come back from a hen night — our word for a bachelorette party — and said, “I’d love to read a thriller set at a hen night.” I thought that was a really amazing idea, and it became my first book, “In a Dark, Dark Wood.”
What is process of creating a thriller like for you?
“Every book is different in the way it comes together. There are different sources of inspiration, different starting points. But the one thing they all have in common, since I write standalones, every book starts with a blank page. That’s always a terrifying moment; I’m very jealous of series writers who have a cast of characters, they have their setting. I have to invent a world from scratch every time. But then I start with a what-if, which is usually rooted in my own fears or experiences. That’s true for most of my books.”
What inspired you to write “Zero Days”?
It’s about I guess the worst thing that can happen to you, which is losing the love of your life, and being suspected of their murder. To me, I can’t think of a worse thing to happen. Then, generally speaking, I have an idea of characters and setting, and “Zero Days” is a novel very much built around the main character. I knew I wanted to write about someone who is a security expert — a “pen tester” — which is a really unique job and a really unique set of skills. In Jack’s case, she’s essentially an ethical burglar. I love the idea of someone who had the skills of a bad guy but uses them for good.
What is it like for you traveling around and meeting people who have been impacted by your books?
I love events. I love meeting readers on the road. Writing can be a really solitary profession — you spend a year locked into your office, listening to these voices in your head, essentially. It can be quite a lonely profession. Then you release this book into the world and hope people like it. Getting a chance to get out there and meet people who read my books and enjoyed them, or simply want to meet an author, it’s such a treat.
What will it be like to sit down with Ashley Flowers and have a discussion for this event on June 26?
I’m going to have such a good time chatting with Ashley, I know she’ll have really good questions. But one of the most enjoyable things for me about events is just hearing the questions of the audience. There is always one that I’ve never heard before. That’s always really fun.
AT A GLANCE
Ruth Ware
What: Bestselling author of “In a Dark, Dark Wood”, “The Woman in Cabin 10”, “The Lying Game”, “The Death of Mrs. Westaway”, “The Turn of the Key”, “One by One” and “The It Girl”
Where: She lives near Brighton, England with her family
Where to find her books: ruthware.com
