Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ann Marie Ruby. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ann Marie, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Such an inspirational question, let me share my creative journey through my books and inspiration. I started my journey of becoming an author through embracing meditation, including challenges, accepting differences, and believing in dreams. Even to this day as I get lost and find creating anything new becomes a challenge, I embrace myself and let meditation foster me back to creating new things.
Life became a whirlwind of tsunamis as I was drowning. I asked, knocked, and sought help. Yet I found no one standing there to help me, to take my hand, or give me a supporting hand of kindness. It was then, from far away like a lighthouse, my dreams guided me. In my dreams, I was told to be the help I seek, I should start writing through the hurdles of my life. Keeping the hurdles as my guidance, I could be there for others who might be in the same spot I was in.
Within all my novels, you will find aspects of my personal life popping in everywhere. My personal life I try to keep very private, yet I do use the personal entries from my own life as metaphors in all my books and guidance to be there for anyone who needs a helping hand. I created myself to become a humanitarian through my words of wisdom.
I strive to bring real-life issues, those I have either suffered through or witnessed people suffering through into my novels. My novel Shattered Wings: Diary Of A Child Bride, is one such humanitarian crisis, where I took a real-life crisis and gave it a paranormal twist. My character Ahana Roy will represent all the child brides eternally. I knew I could create for everyone, songs, poems, stories, critical thinking, and paranormal books. In each one, you will find some guidance.
From early childhood, I had a habit of writing a diary where I placed all my ideas, my stories, and my poems. Never did I have the courage to write publicly but that never stopped me from writing privately my ideas. Yet I somehow gathered my courage as I began to write my first Spiritual Songs book as I stood in front of the Pacific Ocean in Lincoln City, a coastal town in Oregon. As the sun was setting, the Pacific Ocean kissed the skies above. A perfect picture, I so wanted to frame. So, I framed this picture of Mother Nature’s true beauty within my heart. Memories fade and pictures pile up and get stored in storage boxes.
I wanted to share my feelings with the world. I wished I was a painter who could create art and frame the amazing sunsets on the Pacific Ocean. As I sat down to write my journal entry for the night, I realized if I was an author, I could have created all these magical moments and give them life through my books. All my creative ideas, my perspectives, and my solutions could intertwine and become a world through the pages of my books. The pages of these books would never fly away nor get lost in the rough sea or through my travels, as they would all be bound in different pages of my different books.
I watched the sunset with a group of people. Everyone loved the picture-perfect miracle of the evening. Yet I felt like I could hear songs, poems, and so many stories being written at sunset, and about the sunset. I realized my feelings and my words are different from the others who were enjoying the same sunset. As I had written, “Perception is but the personal perspective of the perceiver,” each sunset and sunrise is different. Inspirations never stop flourishing if only one so desires to find them. Inspirations for creativity are for me like a never quenching thirst. As I drink a glass of fresh water, in a short period of time, I get thirsty for it again.
Original ideas that I had woven in my inner heart, I converted into prayer songs I call my collection of Spiritual Songs. My daily inspiration became my collection of quotations, Spiritual Ark, for everyday guidance.
When I needed to create a world where, with the power of a pen, I could have all the wishes I dream about, I created my paranormal world of Kasteel Vrederic. Within Kasteel Vrederic, even after death, reincarnation finds a second chance in life. There you could enter and escape all the troubles of this world, even for a few minutes. A world where obstacles are taken care of through the pen of an author.
Born in the same world we all are, yet circumstances, events, and individual choices take all of us on different paths. However, we are all creators, as our inner soul knocks, asks, and seeks for each one of us to do something somewhere. Just maybe a social media content creator, a banker, a grocery store worker, or a caretaker of the young and the elderly. It matters not what path you choose; we are all creating something. Never stop creating as when you find an obstacle in front of you, remember the sun will rise at dawn, even though tonight the sun has set.
As long as I have inspiration, devotion, and will, I will always have another story to tell. All humans are my inspiration to keep going and keep my creativity alive. For I take inspiration from we the people, nature, and all that is happening around us. My inspirations are eternal as is the power of my pen. Through this miraculous pen, I will always have another story to tell. My advice to all of you is, keep on creating from your own inner soul as all creations, all artwork, and all books have a different story to tell. Life goes on, so do our individual creations.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
A quote I had written in my book, “Obstacles are teachers of life, for when we cross them, we have learned our lesson.” My original quote gave me the needed support I was searching for. When I took a few steps forward toward my goal, I always found life took me backward. Yet I knew I could not give up as in life we can never go backward, nor could we freeze ourselves in the present. We can only move forward. With learned lessons from my past, holding on to my candles of hope for a better future, I gave today my best. Through pouring raindrops of tears, I found myself and knew I must be the inspiration my soul seeks.
My dreams always guided me through the hardest parts of my life. I have openly shared within my acclaimed book Spiritual Lighthouse: The Dream Diaries Of Ann Marie Ruby, 40 nights of my dreams that came true in reality, and also within my thought-provoking book Eternal Truth: The Tunnel Of Light. Having faith in my dreams, I know I have a gift to share with the world.
My gift to this world is my library of books consisting of various genres. I love writing books that give you a sense of escape while also inspiring you to be fearless and empathetic. My nonfiction books cover self-help, inspiration, spirituality, poetry, and human rights. My fictional novels include gothic and paranormal family sagas, romance, reincarnation, and humanitarian issues including ending child marriage, ending ageism, and ending racism in addition to other subjects. I also want to create gifts for children as I wrote a book of magical stories from around the world, Enchanted Tales: A Kasteel Vrederic Storybook For Children. I have more releasing in that series soon.
My journey of writing fictional novels began with the Kasteel Vrederic series. The series follows an aristocratic paranormal family from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first century as they reincarnate and must reunite with their twin flames while fighting the forces that plague them. Enchanted Tales is a storybook based in the same world with the same characters but written for children.
My books were not written just for myself but anyone who needs the guiding hands of a friend. I know there are people who loved or needed my books. As my books became number-one international bestsellers, my creative works made me a number-one international bestselling author with 26 books released to date and I have a lot more coming soon.
Being compelled to share special thoughts with the world took me on a miraculous journey. I poured my heart out to this world through the pages of my books. I also got so much back as love and blessings poured onto me from people around the globe. On my journey through this unknown path, I decided to be the candle of hope, like my special prayer song from my Spiritual Songs Collection, for all who seek hope at their time of need, “Candles Of Hope.” Through words, I created a world where I can show my own obstacles, my own victories, my own lost voice, and tell my story my way, yet as a guide, a support, and a blessed escape for all those who need a world to escape within.
I have a few projects slated to be released soon, including fictional novels, Spiritual Songs IV, and another storybook for children. You can follow along on my social media pages to stay updated on my book releases.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As an author, I must say originality for me is the uttermost quality any writer should have. Humans are all created differently. All humans are beautiful, unique, and are originals. Unitedly if we could take a picture from the first human to the most recently born, we would see we are all different and are individuals. Each human has a different lifetime and path they travel through as they create the story of their lives by living it. So be original as your story, your book, is yours to tell your way. Don’t rewrite another person’s tale or copy another person’s book because then you lose yourself and your story. This story you copied was never yours to tell or share. Your original story would then become lost and never be written down.
As an author of our own work, we would think it’s our work, our story to tell, so why do we get critics and at times trolls? I told one of my team members once to not criticize a critic and never get involved in these criticisms. Everyone has a different taste and not everyone likes the same food. I don’t like meat, or pineapple on my pizza. Yet some people do. It’s like we all must learn to take the bite of being hurt through the hurtful voices of the world. Remember we write to be there for them, so when they criticize, let’s not say anything in anger but respect their criticisms. Let’s move on with learned lessons of life. I do, however, agree that an author can never satisfy all the readers as again everyone is different. It was hard for me too, and always is hard, but now I just take a deep breath and repeat to myself I love everyone, the critics and the fans.
A sales chart is painful at times. I would say always remember to write the book you want to share with the world, not so it is on the bestsellers list. I started to write to be there for everyone, not so that everyone would be there for me. When you hold your book, enjoy the feeling, a gift from your inner heart. It never gets old as even to this day when I hold my books, I feel like they are all my babies. I created them through my words for all to share. When I hold my books, I know through these books I too will become immortal. Even in a hundred years, these books will be in the hands of the future generations. So, my books then become immortal and through the books, my messages also become immortal. I am grateful my books have found their place on international bestseller lists, however, my intention for writing always remains the same, to inspire and entertain.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Knowledge is found after pursuing and understanding the issue as wisdom is achieved after pursuing knowledge. I sought, asked, and knocked for answers as I found myself lost in the confusions of life. It’s true when your mind seeks an answer, you must pursue it until you find the answer. Sometimes you must get on your own feet and look for the answer.
My Spiritual Songs Collection found me and answered my questions. I had written these special sweet songs I call prayers, for my own meditation purpose. When I felt lost, I found myself through my books of songs. They gave me the strength to keep on going. It is then I knew so many people could benefit from these songs. So, with a lot of profound courage and determination, I stood on the world stage as I wrote my Spiritual Songs Collection which as of now includes three books.
Today around the globe, I have a lot of people who too have found these songs beneficial to their own souls to quench their thirst. Readers send me notes saying, anytime they feel drenched in the troubles of life they open a page in any one of these three books. In all the songs, there are positive vibes hidden within them and it just gives the right amount of boost needed for the soul. My book Spiritual Songs III: The Rising Lotus has songs, or prayers, for each day of the week, as I describe how religion and the celestial world all unite through the phenomenon of the seven days.
These books have landed me without a veil on the world stage. After my Spiritual Songs Collection, I had the courage to write all my other books, as when and where I find myself lost, I read a simple line, “Where there is no hope, there is but one” from my prayer “The Merciful” in Spiritual Songs II: Blessings From A Sacred Soul. Another one is “Never fear, for I am here” from my prayer “Never Fear, For I Am Here” in The Bride, The Groom, And The Ghost.
While you ask, seek, and knock for all the answers of life, be satisfied with the answers you have recived in life. Keep searching, but don’t lose yourself in searching. Like the wise people who go on a quest for wisdom, I too went on a quest and sought my answers. I have hidden all my unearthed answers within the pages of my books. As I asked, knocked, and sought them for myself, today you too have them within the pages of my books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://annmarieruby.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theannmarieruby/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnnMarieRuby/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theannmarieruby
- Twitter: https://x.com/theannmarieruby
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theannmarieruby
- Other: Find my books here: https://amazon.com/author/aruby
Image Credits
Ann Marie Ruby
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
