Ruth Sharp

PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK ME HOW I came up with the idea of writing about murder and mental illness for my first book. And I always tell them the truth: it was a short writing assignment given by my creative writing professor as a warm-upexercise. We were to describe a lake where a murder had been committed without actually telling the reader about the murder. An exercise in setting and description turned into a 300-page novel.

So, it is only fitting that I give my professor, Andrea Mason of Arapahoe Community College, credit for the genesis of The Lake Effect. Community colleges are a wonderful opportunity for students of all ages to dip their toes into introductory classes like creative writing. The classes are small, but the feedback is robust and ever so brutally honest.

People also ask me how I stayed motivated to write an entire book. This, too, I answer honestly: with lots of help.

Visit my website to learn more at: ruthsharpauthor.com