From Accountant to Author: Ruby Rayne’s Inspiring Second Act [replay + update], Ep. 23

Ruby wrote her first book on a dare — an accountant who'd never wanted to write, plotting a love story in her head at the kitchen table. Four books, a number-one release, and an Audible deal later, she'll tell you she still can't believe she did it. What she won't say upfront: she wrote the book that hit number one while going through breast cancer treatment — and did it anyway.

ABOUT THIS REPLAY:

This is an encore of one of our early episodes, with bonus content and a fresh update from Ruby added. After the cold open you'll hear a quick housekeeping note from Molly, and at the end we've added extended bonus conversation plus a summer catch-up on where Ruby is now.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Ruby Raynes lives a double life — accountant by day, romance author by night. Under her pen name she writes the Love in Ink series: low-angst, high-spice MM romance that has built a devoted and growing readership. In four years she's published four books, landed an Audible deal, and watched every release go further than the one before. She wrote her third book, Jasper — the one that went to number one — while undergoing treatment for stage 3C triple-negative breast cancer. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, daughter, and a whole zoo of animals.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

[03:10] The offhand comment from a friend that turned a lifelong reader into a first-time writer

[04:57] Why MM romance freed her from a battle she'd been having with herself every time she read

[08:14] The deliberate choice behind the book's setting — and the quiet safety signal woven through the story

[10:18] Why she publishes under a pen name, and what "Ruby Raynes" has come to mean to her

[11:26] The writing schedule of a full-time accountant: late nights, early mornings, 500 words a day

[12:26] The full indie pipeline — alpha, beta, editor, proofreader, ARC — and what she got wrong the first time