Author Zelly Ruskin joins the blog this week to discuss her latest domestic suspense novel
Author Name: Zelly Ruskin
Book Title: Not Yours to Keep
Book Genre: Domestic Suspense
Release Date: October 8, 2024
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome, Zelly! Please tell us a bit about Not Yours to Keep.
Billie, an infertile adoption specialist, risks going down a dark path when she begins to long for her pregnant client’s baby; her husband, Tyler, is keeping secrets; and Anne, a woman scarred by childhood abuse, obsesses about the life she could have had. When a newborn goes missing, these characters’ lives collide—and they must confront the complexities that define family or risk losing it all.
What sparked the idea for this book?
The idea for Not Yours to Keep originated with a photograph. I was in a long-term relationship that had run well past its expiration date (that’s a story for a future book). One day I found this photograph in his coat pocket, and when I asked about it, he told a ridiculous lie. What’s funny is the lie didn’t faze me. I just kept looking at the photo, thinking, there’s a great plot in there somewhere. Years later, I drew inspiration from that photo, my early career in adoption and personal experience with fertility, to develop a narrative in which the characters face morally questionable choices: What if the photo was of a baby? Why would someone lie about it? What if I had known I had fertility issues when I was an adoption consultant? Would I have crossed a line?
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
The idea for the book brewed in my head for years before I finally put pen to paper. That was 2018. I completed the first draft during a twelve-week novel writing workshop. The project got sidelined by a medical issue, and then any traction on the developmental editing got waylaid by the Covid pandemic. In all, it took about four years.
As for research, I was fortunate to have some powerful discussions with adult adoptees who exposed me to more contemporary perceptions of adoption. I also drew on my past knowledge of adoption laws, guidelines, and policies. Then I compared that with current laws. It was surprising to find many adoption laws nearly unchanged from the late ‘80s; waiting to adopt is just as strenuous; and it’s still difficult to access records or connect with birth parents despite the internet’s bandwidth. I haven’t worked in the field for many years, yet the fight for legislation to give a voice to adoptees, to do more to educate prospective adoptive parents, and to improve the rights and support of biological mothers continues.
What drew you to writing women’s/book club fiction?
I can’t say that I set out to write women’s/book club fiction. In fact, if someone had told me I’d become an author, I would’ve thought my stories would be Danielle Steel-esque, but comedic. Instead, my writing style seems to blend entertaining and suspenseful, with a sensitive exploration of difficult, thought-provoking issues. Not Yours to Keep found its place in domestic suspense, a genre that combines women’s fiction with psychological thriller.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
Writing is my passion. On the best days, I start in the morning and get so lost in the world I’m creating that when I look up, it’s dark outside. My second favorite part of being an author is the incredibly supportive community.
What’s challenging (besides the grueling world of publishing) is editing and killing my darlings.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Not Yours to Keep?
Not Yours to Keep offers an emotional, fun, relatable yet eye-opening, character-driven journey with an intriguing, suspenseful plot. There are secrets, lies, and unexpected twists. There may or may not be a happy ending—you’ll have to read it to find out.
Fill in the blank: Readers who liked __Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me__will also like Not Yours to Keep.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
Not Yours to Keep is a sharing of the tremendous and lasting impact of my time in the adoption field. I never forgot my clients—not the couples, not the adoptees, and especially not the birth parents. I carried their stories with me, as well as the knowledge that our brief time together changed all our futures.
This book offers a unique insight into the complexities of infertility and adoption. I hope readers takeaway a new sense of empathy for those involved. I also hope the story sparks conversations about how the choices a mother makes impact future generations, and what it means to be family.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
The thing about writing is that, if you want to be published, you can’t just tell a good story. There are rules of writing, rules per genre, and rules for commercial sell-ability. Will your story appeal to readers? And then, the future of your book depends on the subjective opinions of the book world “gatekeepers.” Once you’re on the publishing track, especially with hybrid, there is a lot of work, deadlines, and marketing to do. Launching a book is huge and very exciting, but the biggest surprise of it all, at least for this writer, is it leaves little time to write!
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
1) Writing a novel is not as easy as telling a good story.
2) Don’t force the story to go where you want. Let the story write itself.
3) The world of publishing is weird and subjective. Believe in yourself and your book.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
When I’m not writing twisty plots, I love traveling and hiking and am also an avid volunteer for brain aneurysm awareness.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
Currently, I’m working on a new twist of a woman who contemplates the murder of her greedy, gaslighting husband. Because who hasn’t had that nano-moment when we’ve wanted to kill our spouse or partner? What if you had no choice?
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
The last book I read was Laurie Frankel’s Family Family. I took an interest in the book because, while her role in adoption differed from mine, her motivation for writing it is very similar to why I wrote Not Yours to Keep.
I loved how Frankel showcased her characters with a unique narrative and Family Family is a fun, emotional, full of secrets story.
Where can readers find you?
My website, zellyruskin.com has all the info on my novel and upcoming events, and you can sign up for my newsletter, ‘Sometimes Snarkastic.’
You can also find me on all social @zellyruskin.
Thank you, Zelly! Not Yours to Keep is out now.
Not Yours to Keep
Billie Campbell, a Massachusetts adoption specialist grappling with fertility issues, dreams of adopting a baby, but not just any baby—her pregnant client’s baby. While her longing threatens to send her down a dark path, her husband, Tyler, is keeping secrets: he’s full of doubts about becoming a father, and he’s also trying to figure out who is sending him upsetting anonymous texts and photos. On the other side of town, Anne, a woman scarred by childhood abuse, obsesses with a second chance at becoming a family with the two people she regrets ever having let go of: the baby she gave up for adoption twenty years ago, and the man of her dreams.
Their lives get tangled when the client’s newborn is abducted, and Billie becomes a prime suspect.
Amid the chaos unleashed by the abduction, Tyler uncovers a link between the person tormenting him and the abduction—but now Billie has disappeared too. The race to find both her and the baby is on; but will they find them before it’s too late?
Author Bio:
Zelly Ruskin is a social worker who worked in adoption and foster care. She loves traveling, hiking with her (now adult) children, and, as a survivor, is passionate about and volunteers for Brain Aneurysm Awareness. Zelly and her ridiculous doodle, Strudel, currently live in New York City.