Zelly Ruskin
In her first career, Zelly was a social worker in the adoption and foster care field. From there, she owned an online retail store specializing in hand-painted children’s gifts and party favors. Along the way, Zelly volunteered and raised funds for several non-profit organizations. In an alternate universe, she is probably an event planner. But once she moved to New York City, Zelly gave in to the compulsion to write women’s fiction spiced with suspense about motherhood, relationships, loss and love. Her debut novel, Not Yours to Keep, comes out October 2024 with She Writes Press.
When she’s not devising twisty plots, Zelly loves traveling, hiking, and is passionate about and volunteers for Brain Aneurysm Awareness. Her involvement in the cause is driven by personal experiences, including surviving an unruptured brain aneurysm, the tragic loss of a family member to a rupture, and supporting a friend in their recovery. Read more about why she’s a dedicated advocate for brain aneurysm awareness and research in her Brain Aneurysm Essay.
Instagram: @ZellyRuskin
Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
My taste in art varies widely from the impressionists to pop and graffiti artists. It’s hard to pick just one. Art history piqued my interest while studying art in college. To stand in front of any masterpiece in real life, and glimpse the brush strokes, the colors and mastery that a textbook can’t capture, is exciting. But I think the most breathtaking experience for me was standing in the Sistine chapel in awe of and appreciating the magnitude of Michelangelo’s painted ceiling.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
My go to comfort food is 100% sweet. I’m a devout chocoholic (chocolate is a vegetable, you know). Food does not inspire my writing, but I’ve noticed that my characters eat healthier than I do.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
No matter how disinterested I am or, or how bad a book is, or how many times I fall asleep on it, I won’t bail. I think I’m waiting for the aha—the what am I missing, the why others rave about it. There’s one supposedly “world-class” book that I’ve been reading sporadically for close to three years. I can’t quit.
Is there another profession you would like to try?
In another life, I’d be a party planner. I’ve always loved hosting parties. I enjoy the creativity of devising a theme, creating the setting, bringing just the right people together, feeding them perfectly curated dishes, and fielding any drama, and orchestrating the event to a satisfying conclusion. Did I just describe the elements an author needs to write a good book?
What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?
I’m a writer when I write for fun. I am an author when I tweak, edit, rework my words to meet a publishing standards.
