An Interview with Christian Fiction Author Ruby Mae O'Dell

Ruby Mae is a young Christian Fiction author who seeks to glorify Christ in her writing and to spread the Gospel through the medium of Christian fiction.  I "met" Ruby Mae on social media a while ago and felt led to ask her to do an interview on my blog. I pray that you will be blessed by her work and testimony! 

Welcome, Ruby Mae! I’m so thrilled to have you here as a guest on my blog and I pray that many will be encouraged through your words and learning more about your writing.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm just a small-town girl with a love for God and my family. I'm 25 years old. I received the Ultimate Treasure (God's gift of Salvation) when I was eighteen years old. Since then, I've been called into different ministries, including: Teaching young adults about the importance of purity, singing and writing songs, and writing novels. I live in a small, historic town in Georgia with my family, 2 dogs, 5 Zebus (miniature cattle), and many chickens (the farm's still growing!). Besides writing, I enjoy reading, singing, spending time outdoors, and arts &crafts.

What motivated you to become a Christian fiction writer?

My Lord and Savior, Yeshua (Jesus)! All my motivation and inspiration comes from Him. Everything else is branches off of Him. If I didn't have God, I wouldn't be a writer—actually, I wouldn't be anything. It's God's Holy Spirit who gives me each story I write. I'm merely the pen in God's hand.

What do you hope to accomplish through your writing?

My biggest hope is for my novels to bring others to the saving knowledge of Christ and to strengthen the faith of those who are already saved. All other accomplishments are extra blessings.

What project(s) are you currently working on?

*Whistles lowly* That's a long list. Ha ha!  I'm currently working on 20 novels. 10 are part of my first series, Faith in the Valley, 2 are part of my second series, Echoes of Faith, 2 are part of my third series, Ephesians Guardians Inc., and 6 are stand alone. The titles are: Protective Secrets, Unseen Dangers, Hidden in the Ashes, Ring of Suspicion, A Lassoed Mistake, Barrel of Threats, A Kindred Frame, Obscured Faith, A Turn for the Worse, A Recipe to Die For, Rodeo Storm, The Deadly Love Letter, The Witnesses' Protectors, Assumed Dead, The Samaritan's Bride, A Love Worth Waiting For, Second Chance Deputy, Dad by Choice, An Abduction Reunion, and A Christian County Escapade.

My main focus at the moment is Protective Secrets. It's book three of my Faith in the Valley series and the set goal is for it to release this spring. It's about the youngest Sawyer sibling, Hannah, who works with Search and Rescue, along with her canine partner, Ace. Hannah is the heroine of the story and is infertile; but she's thrust into motherhood at the beginning of the story—which also puts her in danger. The hero is her supervisor, Chance Timmons, a man who was abandoned by his parents at a young age and is struggling to forgive.

Is there a certain time period that particularly interests you in your writing?

I mostly write in the modern time period. Simply because it touches on topics affecting the world/people today. But one of my novels is based in the Civil War era and I'm loving it! I've always loved stories and movies based back in the good old days(especially when they involve cowboys and strong pioneer women). I'm fairly certain I'll be writing many more novels in the cowboy/Civil War/Revolutionary War era in the near future!

How have you seen the Lord work through your writing to encourage others to pursue Him?

That's a tough one since a lot of my readers I never get to meet(or see again after selling them a book). The simplest answer would be by reader reviews. Many of my readers comment on how they connect with my characters and how my characters encourage them to strengthen their own faith. One reader told me that while reading Seeking Refuge(Faith in the Valley: Book 2) they felt like they were doing their devotionals as well. Said it was very uplifting and inspiring. Another reader told me after reading Seeking Refuge that she read another novel that was very similar by another author who has wrote many more novels than I have. She said she enjoyed mine much more. Her explanation of why was that mine had far more evidence of God in it, which made it a more inspiring read. I love compliments that goes back to God! My readers love the evidence of faith in my stories and I love that!

But it isn't just my reader who gets encouraged through my writing through the Spirit of God. I'm always in the front row when the lesson is being given. The whole time I'm writing a story I can hear God speaking to me, telling me what to write. But it's more than that. He's teaching me something important. In Hidden Treasures(Faith in the Valley: Book 1) God was teaching me the importance of staying in His presence and returning promptly every time I stray, and also teaching me about God's gift of memories. In Seeking Refuge I was being taught the power of choice when it comes to faith. How we are to choose to have faith in God. It all comes down to choice. In Protective Secrets the lesson continues; God is teaching me to trust Him no matter what—even when I can't see the whole picture.

And just some fun questions: 😊

Coffee or tea?

Definitely COFFEE!!! With lots of cream and no sugar. Mmm... Mmm...  I can't stand the taste of any tea.

Where in the world would you most like to visit?

Most definitely Israel. I have a deep love for God's first born son and His people who live there. I would love to visit and walk where Yeshua walked and pray in the garden where He did.

How many siblings do you have?

I have 7 younger siblings and also 2 younger siblings who are with the Lord.

Favorite hobbies, pastimes?

I have many hobbies I enjoy and things I do to pass the time. Reading, painting, drawing, singing, yodeling, photography, hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and doing crafts to name a few.

Favorite dessert

I've always been a big fan of strawberries. So basically anything strawberry. But my favorite would have to be white chocolate-covered strawberries! Mmm...

Favorite book of the Bible

I have three, Psalms, Acts, and James

Favorite Bible verse

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

—Luke 12:34/Matthew 6:21

This verse is very special to me. As I wrote in my debut novel, Hidden Treasures; that verse tells us that whatever treasure we seek, with the most time and energy, is where our heart lies. It serves as a reminder to ask myself now and then, “What treasure am I seeking? Knowing God and His will? Or worldly goods that won’t last?” It helps us to continuously seek the most valuable treasure we can possess, a close relationship with God Himself and serving Him by following His will for our lives.

A little known fact about yourself

Not many people know that Ruby Mae O'Dell is my pseudonym(pen name) or even how I came up with it. My pseudonym is a dedication to my granny and nana, both of whom I was very close to and are now with the Lord. Ruby Mae was my granny's first and second name and O'Dell is my Nana's maiden name. nana also used to call my “Little Ruby”.

RUBY MAE O'Dell is a young, Christian author, living in a small, historic town in the state of Georgia with her parents and 7 younger siblings. She enjoys using her gift of writing to bring glory and honor to Yeshua, her Savior. Two of her novels have been published and she has 12 more in the making. Ruby Mae also enjoys writing songs and poetry, drawing and painting, crafting, roping(still practicing, ha, ha.), singing and yodeling, playing her bongos, and of course, curling up with a good book. Ruby Mae is also vowed to purity as she waits for the man God created especially for her (Biography taken from her website, Truly Inspired Books).

Find Ruby Mae:

Website
On Amazon
Goodreads
Google +

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word