The Deepening Interviews Author E. J. Ruek

First, for the benefit of those who haven’t read the book, can you give us a brief description of To Inherit a Murderer?

To Inherit a Murderer is about a woman who accepts guardianship of a twelve-year-old orphaned boy. From correspondence with the boy’s now dead mother, she suspects that the child has committed murder. And he has…when he was eight. (By the way, that’s not REALLY a spoiler, so you who want to read the book can all breathe easy.)

Deborah, who has never had children of her own and who is a somewhat eccentric individual, immediately has trouble “being a mom” to the boy. It’s just not something for which she feels capable. The boy, on the other hand, has never actually had a parent, having been foisted off on nannies, then dumped into parochial schools his entire young life. The product of a loveless but permissive home, Deborah’s strict, ordered world comes as a shock to him; likewise does Deborah’s formidable temper–one that equals his own…and more.

The story is about the dynamics that happen when an out-of-control child comes to live with a woman who exudes the penultimate of self-control…because she must…because she’s just like him, owning a murderous temper along with the power to use it.

It’s that power–an uncanny ability to “make things happen”–that both William and Deborah share, unbeknownst to either of them, and, when that power is loosed, hell happens.

Where did you come up with the idea for To Inherit a Murderer?

Actually, it’s based on a real life situation I learned of through a mutual friend. A woman to whom I was introduced and, in time, struck up a friendship, did wind up as the legal guardian of a child who was suspected of having committed manslaughter. Of course, I embellished the story…for “fiction’s sake” using facts and details from other similar situations I researched. I was also very, very careful to completely change the parties, locations, specifics, and situations involved so that even the best guesser, one who is familiar with the catalyst family, would never recognize the novel as their story. (Yes, I tested the book on a few who know of the situation upon which, in part, the novel is based, and, to this day, they’ve never suspected.)

The subtitle suggests that there will be more books to follow. When will you be releasing the sequel?

When enough people ask for it. Otherwise, when I think sales need a kick in the backside. And there are actually a total of three books in the story.

In the dedication, you credit your mother with responsibility for changing the book quite dramatically. Tell us about that.

Originally, I ended the book nearly how a somewhat similar case ended, one that happened several decades ago some three thousand miles distant. But Mom wanted ‘Billy’ “given a chance.” That did not make me happy, and it altered the story entirely. But, in the end, I think she was right. The first version was just too brutal. So, except for the first few chapters, I wound up having to rewrite the entire novel. It also is why there are sequels–three books instead of the original stand-alone. ‘Billy’s’ story continues, because both ‘Billy’ and ‘Deborah’ survived their first year together, something that didn’t happen in the incident upon which I chose to map the outcome of the original story.

Do you think people, especially parents, would find To Inherit a Murderer upsetting?

No. Not parents specifically. I do think people, parents or not, will find it upsetting because the story “could happen to you”…or to your best friend, regardless of who you are. I think both the protagonist and antagonist are people who most will be able to identify as similar to acquaintances in their lives, and, once deeper implications become obvious, they’re going to get uncomfortable…which is my intent, of course. But, no, I don’t think that specifically parents will get upset much, at all, and especially not simply because they’re parents. Social workers? Probably.  I’m not kind to them in the book, though a social worker did read the manuscript prior to publication and had no objections whatsoever. In fact, she said she completely abandoned her family for the weekend, walking around in her robe with her laptop till she finished the story, quite a compliment, I think. But, no, I don’t think the book will upset parents.

I think having children makes parents become realists. I think having growing children changes the glow-eyed, idealistic view with which some begin parenthood. Having children can be a kind of trial-by-fire experience for some, I’ll admit, and some fail utterly to manage the stresses and challenges that raising a unique individual can mean. I think that parents compensate, for good or for bad, some becoming overly permissive, some becoming too authoritarian, some becoming abusive, and some mentally and emotionally giving up completely. Most, however, I think try really hard to do the very best job they can. Love means everything, and a parent’s love for their child is unequivocable in all but the most extreme cases…like ‘Billy’s.’

You can buy To Inherit a Murderer directly from the publisher here, get an autographed copy via PayPal, or buy the eBook in any format you might need over at Smashwords.

You can visit E. J.’s website and blog to find out more about the author as well as to read an excerpt from the novel and get a glimpse behind the scenes of To Inherit a Murderer, Book I: The Ward.

Tags: child murderer, debut novel, good novel, good reading, horror novel, mom lit, new novel, paranormal novel, psychological suspense, psychological thriller, suspense, thriller, Women's Fiction