Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians) | Forced Proximity Interview

The eternal ecstasy of naps, the devastating discovery of being more productive in the mornings, and being extremely on the nose, take it or leave it!

If you’re a person who has heard the book title “Ice Planet Barbarians” and isn’t curious at all, you’re a person who is a liar. I spent two months, machine-like, reading every single one of the books in the Ice Planet continuity, which at the time of writing is two complete series of about 10-15 books each and one new in-progress one. I talk about it constantly. And when I behave in this way, you know what I had to do, I had to reach out to the author and beg her to talk to me so I could learn more about her wonderful brain and creations. Please enjoy my interview with Ruby Dixon!

Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to do an interview! Please introduce yourself, in as much or as little detail as you want, perhaps as if you've just woken up on a strange ice planet and a big blue guy is demanding to know who you are and if you're a threat to his community.

Ruby Dixon: Hi there! I'm Ruby Dixon and I write fun, escapist romance. The hero is usually nonhuman but loving and affectionate, and the heroine is initially reluctant but eventually eats this shit up, because who wouldn't want to be worshipped by a 7 foot tall mate?

How would you explain your latest book to a non-romance reader?

It has a minotaur love interest, so if that's not your thing, keep on walking. If it IS your thing, you should know that the story takes place in a magical world where artifacts are currency and the heroine is trying to get into the guild that digs them up. But she has a secret! A big one! And the hero is trying to find out her secret. Also I am possibly terrible at describing things.

How would you explain it to a regular reader of romance?

It's a monster romantasy with hurt/comfort, knotting, and friends to lovers!

What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?

Just because you hurry to get it done on time doesn't mean others feel the same amount of hustle. :)

What has surprised you about writing professionally?

The skills I learned in Corporate America are more useful than I realized.

What’s your writing routine, if you have one? When/where/how do you find yourself at your most creative?

Right now, I'm most productive in mornings. I have morning, noon, and evening writing sessions with friends on a Zoom chat, and so that's when my writing time is structured. I find that if I start first thing in the AM with the morning sprints, I get twice as much done. Which sucks because I hate waking up early!

What hobbies do you have outside of work that aren’t literature-related?

I love video games, especially roguelikes or farming sims. Right now I'm playing both Balatro and Everafter Falls. I also love to read (obviously) and nap. The older you get, the more fun you realize naps are.

Which of your protagonists would you most like to be forced into proximity with? Why?

Oh gosh, this is hard because I give a lot of them flaws. I first thought Nemeth from Bound to the Shadow Prince because he's a big fan of reading, but then I remembered he likes war poetry and I can't stand poetry. So maybe not.

How do you find new authors and books to try? Are you a casual browser, or do you have a network of trusted recommenders?

I am a little bit of everything. I check the bookstores and the bestseller lists to see what's trending and click on pretty covers. I take friend recommendations. I look at Reddit and see what people are loving. I listen to podcasts and see what they're gushing about. So I guess...recommendations?

Is there a romance trope that’s an auto-read for you? What about one you’re suspicious of unless a favorite author tries it out?

Auto-buy for me is a plague/apocalypse situation (I KNOW I'M SORRY) or enemies to fated mates. One I'm suspicious of is marriage in trouble, because they usually involve a lot of arguing and not fun arguing, if that makes sense.

What were the strategies you employed in the early days of your self-publishing journey? What were your priorities that allowed you to reach the readers who love you, they just didn’t realize it yet?

I tried to make it obvious what you were getting in the packaging! That's why Ice Planet Barbarians was so on the nose for everything -- title, cover, etc. I figured you would either be repulsed, or intrigued.

What else do you want readers to know about you and your work, if anything?

I'm here for a good time, just like you! I like to think of myself as the junk food of romance. Is it high class? No. Is it filling and delicious and a guilty pleasure (even though you shouldn't feel guilty about it)? Yes. Sometimes you don't want a five course elegant meal. Sometimes you just want a little Taco Bell on the couch in your jammies. That's when I come in.

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Thanks so much again to the prolific and delightful Ruby Dixon! Find more about her and her work on her website.