A ruddy good read

I was privileged last year to chat to the delightful and gracious Ms Jessica Rudd.

Jessica loves Tasmania and has fond memories of beautiful Cradle Mountain and a visit there when politically campaigning.

Although Jessica is now stationed in China she travels to Australia regularly and was here late last year to promote her new book ‘Ruby Blues’. Jessica tells me this one is a little more cynical than its predecessor as her heroine becomes deeper entrenched in the workings of the political system.

The word ‘Rudd’ refers to ruddy or red faced and indeed some of the passages of Jessica’s book might leave a ’slight’ blush on the cheek and her heroine has a decidedly ‘ruddy’ name ‘Ruby’.

With politics running in her blood it is no surprise Jessica would find this territory a familiar one to write about.

Jessica sticks to a regime of working from 9 to 6 each day and on another twist from the perception of how an author writes Jessica doesn’t lock herself away in a stuffy office but prefers to move in to the fresh air and choose a café to set up her studio. When we spoke she talked about her gratitude for the privilege of being a writer.

One of Jessica’s strong points as a writer and perhaps owing in part of her political nature is her facility for witty, quick fire dialogue. All of which can be enjoyed in her two books thus far ‘Campaign Ruby’ and its sequel ‘Ruby Blues’, available now.
Paula Xiberras