R M Muller - An Emotional, Action-Packed Story of Courage

Posted on 22nd of November, 2023 by Naomi Bolton

Perched on a limb, high in a tree that had stood for decades, was a skinny little farm girl. Her focus was solely on the scrappy notebook and pencil in her hands. Oblivious to the swaying branches around her and the voice of her mother calling her down, she scratched out a story. For the first time, her imagination made it to paper, and she was obsessed. Rose-Marie is a mother to four vivacious daughters, wife to a grazier, sister, daughter, etc. Stories and her little bunch of humans give her purpose every day, and the reason she spends a disturbing amount of time with imaginary people, in imaginary worlds, most days, writing young adult and new adult books. Epic adventures, amazing characters and magnificent places...

Please give us a short introduction to what Sands of Ruin is about.

Sands of Ruin is about fighting for the people you love. It is a story of hope, love, loss and courage. And the fact that all great things can never be done alone.

What inspired you to write this story?

The story arose from a spark of a scene that I imagined in the early hours of one morning.

Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

As the story evolved it went from one book to four and took on a life of its own! It was my way of showcasing that even in the worst of times, wonderful things still happen, family gets stronger (whether that is family by blood or choice) fierce FMCs save the day and MMCs don’t have to be all brute to be meaningful. In fact, the world that Harm and Imani find themselves in at the beginning of the story in book one, is vastly different by the end of the series.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Tell us a bit about your writing journey. I have had a few different jobs over the last few decades, but have been writing on and off for the last ten years.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I can fly an airplane and can also make people laugh.

Why did you title this "Sands of Ruin”?

The title is a double meaning, the ruination of a society under an oppressive regime is tied in closely to the fact that one of the methods of control is the alteration of their weather, which holds them in desolate conditions, enhancing their poverty and daily struggles.

Tell us more about Harm. What makes him tick?

He has a huge heart and is kind and forgiving almost to a fault. His drive to protect people motivates him. He is also a bit of a nerd and reads a tonne, despite books not being readily available.

What makes Imani so special?

She is fierce and selfless. She is sassy and can be spontaneous and hot-headed, but she is loyal to the end.

Readers say this book reminds a bit of The Hunger Games. What drew you to this genre?

The underdog element of the dystopian genre is one I settled into easily.

What was your greatest challenge when writing Sands of Ruin?

Resisting the urge to speed up the slow-burn romance element…...

The book has a few twists and surprises. Did you plan it all out before you started writing, or did some of it just "happen" along the way?

While major plot elements were planned it was a bit of both, to be honest, when Harm got himself into trouble, the next thing I knew…. Plot twist.

This is book 1 of a series. How many books do you plan for the series?

Can the individual books be read as standalone? There are four books in the series, and book two will release on the 27th of November in just a few days' time!! This is a traditional series that needs to be read from book one through to book four.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I have a process of working through scenes, plotting and creating dialogue etc, by listening to music and dancing around letting my imagination run wild. It’s kind of like brainstorming but much more fun, I call it dream-storming! It is also very useful when you are having trouble getting into the zone for writing.