Ruth Sims has lived her entire life in small town Mid-America, surrounded by corn-, wheat-, and soybean fields. Like Emily Dickinson she has never seen a Moor and has never seen the Sea (except, unlike Dickinson, in films) but she's seen plenty of silos, Amish buggies, whitetails, and amber waves of grain. She's the wife of one and mother of two ... or vice versa. She gets a little confused by the rush of living. Though many years past schooldays, her education is continuous and far-ranging, with interests running the gamut from Shakespeare to awful puns and limericks; from criminal psychology to the science of baking towering chocolate cakes and artisan bread. Her special love of theatre (as reader and observer only; never a performer) is apparent in The Phoenix. Her passion for Classical and Romantic music comes to life in Counterpoint: Dylan's Story, published by Dreamspinner Press, July 2010. The Phoenix, originally published in 2004, was revised and republished by Lethe Press in 2009. There were a number of changes, so she urges potential buyers to get the one from Lethe Press. She has always loved short stories, especially Jack London's. Though best known as a novelist, she is proud to have several short stories published. Like her interests, the stories range wide, from poignant literary works to comedy and sly mystery. Words, imagination, books, music and writing have always been the means by which she could travel the world and slip into other lives. After retiring as a librarian, she was able to turn to full-time writing and set loose the characters who have been living in her head all this time. They are relieved. It was getting crowded in there.