The Ruby Ashford / Liberty Forrest connection

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I’ve been writing under my real name, Liberty Forrest, for many years, mostly in the non-fiction world. But because of that significant difference, when I decided to follow my dream of writing small-town romance I was advised to use a pen name to avoid confusing Amazon’s algorithm and potential readers. 

It took ages to come up with “Ruby Ashford”, and being a numerologist, of course I included using numerology in the process to be sure it would create helpful energy and not work against me.

I’ve only recently begun this new journey writing as Ruby, having published two books in the Willow Valley series with others already in the works. I thought it would be fun to create a whole persona for Ruby, one that felt romantic and immersive, to deepen the reader experience. I even created a backstory for Ruby that added to the enchantment of my little romantic world.

But here’s the thing: I’ve never written under a pen name before. It’s all been a bit of a trial and error process, with lots of options about how to do it, according to many other authors. And as I’ve gotten further into it, I’ve realised something important—I just can’t connect with you the way I want to if I’m writing as Ruby. While Ruby is part of me, she’s not me. She’s a character I’ve created, and I want to be authentic with you. I want to speak from my heart, as Liberty, because that’s how I truly connect with people.

That’s why I’ve made the decision to step away from Ruby’s separate Patreon page and to include her in mine. And moving forward, my newsletters will come from me, Liberty Forrest, with a fun little section about “What’s Happening in Ruby’s World” to keep the magic alive for those of you who love the idea of Ruby as much as I do.

It’s a learning curve, but I’m excited to be navigating it. Thank you for being along for the ride, and I hope you’ll enjoy every minute!

Love,
Liberty

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