Ruby Duvall's Blog

Congratulations for getting past the title without going “sounds boring, skiiiip!”

Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to enjoy any time spent on understanding the NFT–blockchain–crypto space that we sometimes hear about on Twitter and Reddit.

But if you bear with me, you won’t need to wonder anymore if you’re missing out on something (read: money) by avoiding NFTs. They’re nothing but a complicated tech scam that hides behind jargon and pyramid-scheme hype. Because once you’re in it, you need to...

At long last, I can share the new covers plural for the Dark Court, including a new, third book coming October 1st!

My kids just started preschool and brought home a cold—our first since the Plague began—so I’m writing this while s...

I was in a weird place for a long time when it came to reading romance books. I devoured dozens a year from high school through college, and then didn’t read much from about 2006 to 2018. I kept up with a couple of romance series and read a few books by fellow EC authors, but I otherwise read manga instead. (Like, a lot of manga—most of it romance. I highly recommend Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun or “Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun,” which is freakin’ hilarious.)

When I first joined Goodreads in 2012, I...

Historical accuracy is highly important to a significant number of romance readers, especially those who almost exclusively read historicals, so getting all the details right is part of a historical romance author’s job in addition to crafting an engaging plot, well-paced narration, and a memorable love story.

But historical research can be a real bear. While some places and eras are well documented in every area of interest, from clothing to food to everyday life to politics and more, the sa...

Some of my readers know I used to write fanfiction (still do on rare occasion). Fanfic is an excellent way for a writer to build their narrative muscles, explore their author voice, get feedback on what they’ve produced, and enjoy their favorite media with a like-minded community of fans.

More specifically, creating “non-canon” dialogue and scenes using an existing IP lets writers practice their craft without as much requisite world-building. For example, a Harry Potter fanfic doesn’t have to...

new covers

updated blurbs

fresh edits

new scenes!

All four novels are second editions, meaning they've been revised. Improved readability, snappier dialogue, hotter sex scenes, and tighter narration. Drawn Into Oblivion (previously published as Oblivion) now has a more satisfying ending that also leaves open the possibility of a third novel in the series. (Ooh!) And Stay With Me has a brand-n...

Updated: November 2018

In my review of Ikémen Sengoku: Romances Across Time (iOS | Android), I didn’t go into great detail about how to play “campaign events” within the game, of which there are two general types: story events and collection events.

While some story events are based around a theme, such as “Raising a Child” or “What If We Were Married?”, some story events take place on the birthday of one of the romance options. This time, it’s Mitsunari Ishida.

Mitsunari is also t...

In my review of Ikémen Sengoku: Romances Across Time (iOS | Android), I didn’t go into great detail about how to play “campaign events” within the game, of which there are two general types: story events and collection events.

As I write this, a story event is into its second day. While some story events are based around a theme, such as “Raising a Child” or “What If We Were Married?”, some story events take place on the birthday of one of the romance options. This time, it’s Mitsunari Ishida....

If having fraternal twins this summer doesn't completely blow up my life (I'm 99% sure it will, but you never know!), then Ruby Reviews will become a somewhat regular feature of the blog. We're starting off with a bang in this first installment—a "dating sim(ulation)" game you can read/play on mobile that combines many of my favorite things: good writing, romance, time travel, video games, and being on my phone.

First, let me explain dating sims. They're a subgenre of role-playing video games...

I was rather quiet in 2017. I released my erotic horror novella in January, put out a couple blog posts, and tweeted a bit. I had plans to re-release the four novels in my back-list as soon as I cleaned them up and slapped on new covers.

Then two things happened. First... Woo boy, did I underestimate the wide gap in readability between Caught in the Devil's Hand and Eidolon. I'm glad to see how much I've improved from my first story to my (technically) seventh, but I seriously worried a reade...