Nicholas Ruddock is a Guelph-based doctor and a critically acclaimed poet and author whose 2010 novel, The Parabolist, was short-listed for the Toronto Book Award. His latest work is the compelling, funny How Loveta Got Her Baby, a linked story collection that was published by Breakwater Books this past March. Ruddock will be reading at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival on Sunday Sept. 14 and we met in an empty house the other day to talk about his long road to living in Guelph, secret doctors, not writing about medicine, my weak eye, linking on a shady dance floor, living in Newfoundland, purposefully heading east instead of west, the profundity of ‘the Rock,’ daring me to move to Newfoundland, Elisabeth de Mariaffi, perceptions of Newfoundland, going from a novel to a short story collection, Butterpot and Not Butterpot, courage and writing, his first novel The Parabolist, the story of the soccer players, black humour and death, whether or not doctors can have fun with their jobs, lighten up British Columbia, Dawson City in 1976, writing about the nobility of human nature, plotting and scheming characters, babies and Camaros, seeing your story altered in a short film adaptation, avoiding Bruce Springsteen, the next novel, the very, very short stories in How Loveta Got Her Baby, the next 25 short stories, writing tips, twitter, Nick’s wife, visual artist Cheryl Ruddock and his daughter Koko Bonaparte, inspiring a new story, and then our appointment is over.
Related links: nicholasruddock.com breakwaterbooks.com edenmillswritersfestival.ca vishkhanna.com
Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes.
Podcast: Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS