Ilie Ruby

The Salt God's Daughter takes place in the seaside community of Long Beach, CA, where I was a teacher over two decades ago. I adored this community, and never quite forgot the enchanted landscape dotted with luminous floating "islands," which were disguised to mask oil rigs along the coastline. Years later, as I began to write a modern-day folktale about the selkies, shape-shifters that are men on land and seals in the water, the setting of Long Beach began to emerge. The history of this beloved place became the bedrock of a multi-generational love story.My first novel, The Language of Trees takes place in a magical part of Upstate New York where I spent my childhood summers--Canandaigua Lake. Located in an area the Seneca Indians call The Chosen Spot, the lake is the source of local legends, Native American folklore, as well as restless spirits, both living and not. I have always thought of books as treasures. Most book reviews I write are unapologetically given 4 or 5 stars. That's because life is too short to finish a book I don't love, and I'd never, ever review a book I hadn't finished. Secondly, I feel much more comfortable recommending works I admire than I do criticizing things I don't. My articles have appeared in the New York Times Motherlode, and ParentDish, among others. Updated events are found on my website: -Website www.ilieruby.com-Twitter @ilieruby-Facebook Ilie on Facebook