Interview of Ruth Knafo Setton

Earlier this week I reviewed Zigzag Girl. Who could say no to that intriguing title? Check out my review HERE and get to know the author, Ruth Knafo Setton today.

Jodi: Have you found any uniting themes or traits in all of your books?

Ruth: Three things unite everything I write: passion, wonder, and mystery. I'm drawn to the dance of desire between two people, especially when it's forbidden or dangerous—I don't like to play it safe. My characters search for magic in the real world, moments when the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and they're as curious as I am about the secrets hiding beneath the surface.

Jodi: What first drew you to the mystery genre?

Ruth: The first books I loved were mysteries—I wanted to be Nancy Drew when I grew up. Even my first novel, though it's a coming-of-age story with a forbidden love at its center, has a mystery at its heart: my main character goes in search of the truth about the girl martyr she was named for, and the solution is not what she expected. Whatever I write next will involve mysteries and secrets—I can't seem to escape them, and I don't want to.

Jodi: Can you explain the meaning of Zigzag Girl?

Ruth: The Zigzag Girl is called the perfect illusion—a woman sawed in thirds who rises whole—but the image is deceptive, slippery, elusive, just like my main character Lucy Moon, who can't be pinned down.

Jodi: What came first – your study of magic or your idea for a book involving magic?

Ruth: The idea for the book came first; I had no idea it would lead me into the world of magic and magicians, years of study, friendships, and an entirely new way of thinking. Magic expanded my imagination and my writing in ways I never expected.

Jodi: Writers often tell me about other creative pursuits that improve their writing but magic is a first! When you chose your title did you know about Elly Griffith’s mystery The Zig Zag Girl?

Ruth: I didn't know about Elly Griffiths' novel when I chose my title, but from the very beginning Zigzag Girl was the only title for this book—it encompasses the magical, elusive mystery at the heart of the story. The title describes both the illusion itself and the woman at its center: sawed in thirds, yet secretly the power behind the trick. That's Lucy Moon, and that's this novel. There could be no other title.

Jodi: In a world filled with streaming channels and limited series/movies based on books,

some author might be secretly thinking of this outcome for their book. Have you

thought about that possibility and do you find yourself writing differently with that

thought in mind?

Ruth: I'm a visual writer—I think cinematically, and I'm also a screenwriter, so the screen is never far from my mind. Zigzag Girl won the Grand Prize in ScreenCraft's Cinematic Book Competition, and I envision it as a series: all those colorful characters, the magic onstage, Atlantic City's glitter and grit, the haunted Pine Barrens. I wrote a TV pilot for it that won First Prize at the LA International Crime and Horror Film Festival—so yes, I'm more than ready for that call.

Jodi: Now I'm excited! I would love to see this as a movie. Let us know when you get that call.

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