Off Season by E.S. Ruete

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What would we find under your bed?

A box of Christmas sox, message tee shirts, and silk boxers.

What was the scariest moment of your life?

Wow. Do you really want me to go there? What should have been the scariest moment was when my submarine was on a collision course with a Russian sub and the only thing that saved us was being at different depths. But something like that is too big to be scared by. I just held my breath and got through it. I get scared by the little things, like getting claustrophobic when touring the Indian Mounds in Indiana.

Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?

No. For me music is either something to focus on or a filler when I’m doing something that doesn’t really engage me. Writing fills my head and my heart.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

I have two book ideas. One is called #AvocadoOil. In a dystopian future, all the arable land is going to produce luxury products for the 1%, such as skin products rich in avocado oil. The people are starving, but the 1% isn’t even aware of the food riots because they don’t show up in their favorites. #Avocadooil is used by activists to get their attention.

The second book is just a germ. It was suggested by a question I was asked on this virtual tour about where I would like my publisher to send me to research a book. I would like to write about African civilization before it was torn apart by European colonizers. Lies about the lack of civilization in Africa were used to justify the slave trade and are the basis of the racist ideas we are still dealing with today. Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible tells of the amazingly rich civilization in the Congo before the arrival of the Belgians. I would like to find other stories and weave them into a book.

How long did it take you to write this book?

I wrote Off Season in about eight weeks of working four to five every afternoon. That doesn’t include the typing, editing, proofing, and publishing. That took about three times as long as the writing.

Read an Excerpt:

“Look to your left. That person has divinity inside them. Look to your right. That person has a divine spark. Now tap the shoulder of the person in in front of you. When they turn around, say, ‘Namasté. I honor the divine spark within you.’

“As you prepare to celebrate Christmas, as we prepare to invite one another to the communion table, think on this: Mary was an unwed mother, but she was not unclean. Joseph was a lecherous old man, but he was not unclean. The shepherds lived in the fields with the sheep, but they were not unclean. The Magi were heathens from a pagan land and probably not circumcised, but they were not unclean. And Jesus was born among the donkey dung and slept on top of a cow’s supper, but He most assuredly was not unclean.

“Let it be so.”

As Pastor Allen spoke, Mandy sat with her arms folded across her chest and her legs pressed together. When others were looking left and right, she didn’t move, and when she was tapped on the shoulder, she didn’t turn around. She just pursed her lips into a tighter line.

But those who sat near her thought they saw the least glimmer of a tear in the corner of her eye. Whether it was for her church, or for the Pastor, or for herself, no one could guess. Even Mandy didn’t know. But part of her, a part she was afraid of, a part she was trying to ignore, thought that maybe, just maybe, it was for Dottie.

About the Author: E.S “Ned” Ruete is an author, speaker, group facilitator, women’s rights activist, LGBTQIPA+ ally, lay preacher, guitar picker, and business analyst. He is the author of Seeking God: Finding God’s both/and in an either/or world and Lead Your Group to Success: A Meeting Leader’s Primer.

Now retired, Ned lives in Niantic, Connecticut with his second wife. He continues to offer pro bono group facilitation and facilitation training to schools, churches, community groups and not-for-profit organizations. He has led strategic planning retreats for United Action Connecticut (UACT), Fiddleheads Food Co-op, and ReNew London. He is actively involved in LGBTQIPA+ advocacy and annually attends and presents sessions at the True Colors Conference. He is a member of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) formerly served on the Association Coordinating Team (ACT, the IAF Board of Directors). He was associate editor of Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal and has contributed articles to Group Facilitation, The Facilitator, and other publications on group facilitation and management consulting.

Off Season is Mr. Ruete’s first fiction work

See his consulting products at MakingSpaceConsulting.com: http://www.makingspaceconsulting.com/default.html
and his books at MakingSpaceConsulting.com/Publish: (The book is $0.99 during the tour) http://www.makingspaceconsulting.com/Publish.html

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