Hey everyone,

Just wanted to send a quick note that I’ll be doing an event for Showtime at The Bookplate in Chestertown, MD (hosted by The Kitchen and The Pub at The Imperial) on February 21st @ 6pm!

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT LINK

Event will be a talk and reading followed by a Q+A and signing. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Hope to see you there!

Ricky

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted to share some new signings + events for Showtime lined up for the fall! Hope to see some of you there! :)

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

We interrupt your hotdog consumption and sparkler mishaps with this breaking news bulletin:

I will be signing copies of Showtime this Saturday at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. If you’re in the area, stop on by! I’d love to scribble in your book.

Event date:

Saturday, July 8, 2023 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Event address:

133 Rehoboth Ave.

Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

It’s been almost two months since Showtime was released out into the wild, and it’s great to see reviews starting to trickle in! Currently, Showtime has a 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon!

Aside from actually buying the book, reviews are the next best thing to help a debut author stand out from the crowd. So, as you finish reading, I’d hugely appreciate it if you’d take a couple minutes to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or time-consuming (Amazon requires at least 20 words, though), just a quick sentence or two giving your honest opinion about the things you liked or didn’t like.

Goodreads is fairly straightforward, but for Amazon...

1.     Search for the book in the search bar on Amazon and click on Showtime

2.     Scroll waaaaay down to where it says WRITE A CUSTOMER REVIEW

3. Write your review and click SUBMIT

It’s that simple!

I’m loving getting to hear everyone’s thoughts, opinions, gasps, cringes, and sighs as they read — it’s like getting to experience the book with fresh eyes and perspectives each time — so keep ’em coming!

Thanks for your continued support, and happy reading!

Ricky :)

P.S. All books should have been sent out by now, but if you have not yet received yours (if bought from Inkshares), please reach out to noah@inkshares.com.

Well, today is the day.

After years of drafts and edits, over 100 literary agent rejections, a lengthy pre-order campaign, delays related to pandemics, supply chain issues, and swarms of locusts, and a college advisor whose best advice to me was that I “pick a real career”, my debut novel, Showtime, has been released into the wild. While it’s the second one I’ve written, it’s the first one that has been published, and it’s crazy to think that something I wrote for me, that once existed only in my imagination, now belongs to…well, everyone (yes, you).

The first draft (written way back in the summer of 2017 took about 6 months to write. I remember exactly where I was when I wrote the first line—in a shoebox of an office, during a break while substitute teaching an elementary music class (which I don’t recommend, by the way)—and the feeling that the story I was waiting to tell wasn’t going to get written unless I sat down and actually wrote it. So, I did. I didn’t end up using any of the first chapter (or the second, or the third) of that first draft, but I got words on paper, and that’s what counts. Which is a long-winded way of me saying that the book has evolved a lot (re: a lot) over the past five years. There were countless rewrites and revisions, drafts and edits, late nights and weekends, and more than a few times when I wanted to hurl my laptop out the window and stuff my face with cake rather than write another damn word (I definitely did that last one, though). But giving up would’ve been easy. It also would’ve given the win to anyone who’s ever told me “no”. Plus, I’m stubborn.

So, while it has taken a lot longer than I thought it would take to get here, I’m so grateful that we’re here together. Your copies of Showtime will be arriving shortly (if not already) and, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ve even got a comfy reading chair, a roaring fireplace, and perhaps a warm beverage or two to pair it with.

Stories are unique in that they allow us to be transported, for however brief a time, into the other: other times, other places, and into the shoes of other people. They’re a blissful escape, but also a vital part of what makes us human, as integral to our lives as a heart and brain, food and water. They make us feel, make us think, and, most importantly, they build empathy in a world and time that could really use a whole lot more of it.

I hope you enjoy Showtime, and the stories of Jordan, Sam, Charity, and Matt. They’re flawed people, but I like them a whole lot. After living alone with them for so long, I’m excited for you to meet them. If their adventures make you think differently about someone or something, or act as an escape as you unwind after a rough day, or make your heart skyrocket with adrenaline—if they make you feel—then I’ve done my job.

I mention this in the Acknowledgements, but it’s worth repeating: while writing the book was a solidary endeavor, it literally would not be in your hands (or on its way into your hands) without the unwavering support, enthusiasm, excitement (and more than a dash of saintly patience) of my family, friends, co-workers, and complete strangers who offered me their time, eyes, and hard-earned dollars. Thank you for your support of my writing, your confidence and trust, and for coming together to support books.

I’ll only ask for one more thing: after you finish the book, would you please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads? Early reviews generate buzz, and buzz is vital to an author’s securing of another book deal. I’ve got another one written and ready for you (it’s called Monsters, and boy is it a doozy), and I’d love for it to make it into your hands as well.

But for now, let’s read. I’ve got a story I want to share with you. 

Ricky Ruszin
12/6/2022

Hey everyone,

It’s hard to believe that after edits, pandemic delays, printer shutdowns, and supply chain issues, Showtime will officially be released exactly 4 weeks from today! Copies have been printed and are waiting to be read, sniffed, and cradled in your waiting arms.

If you know anyone who still wants a copy, the easiest, cheapest, and best way to ensure that it arrives on time is to order directly from Inkshares. For those of you who are local, I’ll also have stock on hand to sell and deface with my signature. As a matter of fact, take a gander at what just arrived!

GETTING YOUR INKSHARES COPIES

If you ordered directly from Inkshares, make sure you log in to your Inkshares account and double check that your shipping address is accurate, especially since some of you have moved in the past few years. Once you sign in, click your profile circle like in the pic below, then SHIPPING ADDRESS. If it’s correct, you’re golden. If not, update it so your copies don’t go to the stranger squatting in your previous residence.

E-BOOK REMINDER

If you pre-ordered an eBook, you’ll be receiving it early, around November 22nd. The reasoning behind this is to give digital readers a chunk of time to read the book and post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so we have a head start on press for release day.

More news in the coming weeks, but that’s all for now. Thanks again for your support and patience. Let the countdown begin!

Ricky

Hey everyone,

I’m temporarily pausing my search for the elusive pumpkin spice Belvita to pop in with a few exciting Showtime updates. For one, after combating delays related to pandemics, printer shutdowns, re-writes, active volcanoes, and swarms of locusts, Showtime will officially be released into the wild (and your hands) on December 6, 2022! For those of you who aren’t mathematically inclined (don’t worry, I’m right there with you), that’s less than two months from today. Zoinks, Scoob!

I can think of no better way to celebrate than by debuting the official cover. With its present-day character juxtaposed with an outdated TV, old wallpaper, and green tint, it has one foot firmly planted in the present and one in the 1970s, something that Jordan Jones might know a little about. I think it perfectly captures the flavor of the book (not to mention looking pretty snazzy).

If you were unable to sleep last night because you were stuck in an endless thought spiral while thinking, Jeeze, I wish I could read some of the final copy of Showtime RIGHT NOW!, you’re in luck! Wicked Horror is running an exclusive excerpt that can be found here: Here’s Your First Look at the Cover Art from Ricky Ruszin’s Novel ‘Showtime’ [Exclusive]

A quick note about pre-orders: If you already pre-ordered a copy of Showtime (first, pat yourself on the back and have a cookie), you’ll be receiving your copies on time. However, if you pre-ordered an eBook copy, you’ll be receiving it 2 weeks before the official release date. The reasoning behind this is to give digital readers a chunk of time to read the book and post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so we have a head start on press for release day.

That’s all for now, but more good things ahead!

Ricky

Hi everyone,

I haven’t sent out any Showtime news in a while, but that doesn’t mean that things haven’t been happening behind the scenes. Far from it!

We didn’t make our goal date of releasing this past June (we ended up doing one more round of edits, which turned out to be a blessing because the book is so, so much better for it), but lots of progress has been made over the past few months to get Showtime into the best possible shape before it makes it into your hands.

Since my last update, here are some things that we’ve been working on (and finishing!):

✔ All rounds of developmental edits are done

✔ Both rounds of copyedits are done

✔ Initial typesetting (finalizing the layout and making it look like a book instead of a Microsoft Word file) is done

✔ I collaborated with a kick-ass artist, Courtney Payne, who created 4 original pieces of phenomenal interior art (seriously, I can’t wait for you to see them)

This week, I received the final proofread of the book and have been going through to approve the changes, which I’ll finish by the end of this week. After that, the typesetter will incorporate the changes, and then I believe we’re on to cover design (which, if you’re keeping track, means we’re very close to the end here). 

More info. to come, and thanks again for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Ricky

P.S. As a teaser, here’s the first typeset page of Showtime looking like a real book (the blue comment dots won’t appear in the final copy):

Hey everyone,

I hope you’re all stocking up on pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice donuts, pumpkin spice toothpaste, and pumpkin spice shampoo.

It’s been a few months since my last update but I wanted to wait until I had some news to share. I’m happy to say that now I do. Showtime will officially be released into the wild on June 28th, 2022! I’ve always thought that summer was the perfect season for it, so I’m happy to see it on the schedule for next year’s prime beach reading months.

Now that it has its own ISBN number (yahoo!), it’s now listed on Barnes & Noble and Amazon (CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK) with more retailers to come in the future. The page is a little blank for now but will look more complete in the coming months with more product details, reviews and, of course, a cover reveal.

We’re still planning to start the last round of copyedits mid-October, and then it will be on to final stuff like cover design, interior layout, marketing, printing, and shipping.

Thanks for your patience and for sticking with me this long. We’re in the beginning of the home stretch now. :)

Ricky

Happy to have had the opportunity to be featured on fellow writer Sean Taylor’s blog! If you want to read my rambling thoughts, the link is below. Guaranteed to feature wurds, sentincez, and all kinds of gud grammer.

https://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2021/07/ricky-ruszin-people-are-real-monsters.html

As always, more Showtime updates when I have them. 

Ricky