Q&A with Author Ruth Reid

What does the research process look like before and during the writing process?

I look forward to researching my Amish stories. I love spending time with my family in Michigan while driving northern backroads around the different nearby Amish communities. These outings and interviews stir-up creative what-ifs that I take back to the computer. Another area I spend time researching is when one of my characters have a medical condition. My background as an EMT and Pharmacist help conjure up all sorts of problems. In Steadfast Mercy, I searched for a genetic disorder that could go undetected.

How do you thread the stories together from book to book?

I developed the common thread for the Amish Mercies Series from Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”

God often delivers my characters from unseen situations, things they are unaware of at the time. I believe He does the same for all of His children and that’s thought provoking to me.

What should a reader expect from Steadfast Mercy? What will they walk away feeling?

Steadfast Mercy is a story of self-forgiveness. The characters are flawed and they’re struggling to find normalcy after their world has been turned upside down. I hope the reader walks away feeling God’s presence. *As a side note: The author in me loves to make readers cry, even if they only shed one tear. So please let me know if my character’s story tugged at your heart—hearing from readers is really what keeps me writing!

How are you able to come up with all the twists and turns of the stories? Is it hard to keep your readers guessing till the very end?

I like to feed information throughout the story bit-by-bit. Since I tend to write by the seat of my pants, in that, I don’t outline the story before I begin, building on the bits of information keeps me guessing too. Often, I find myself having to work backwards from a twist to figure out where to go next.