Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Williams Sr.
Hi Ruben, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Being born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I always enjoyed writing since I was a child. However, playing basketball overshadowed it, and it took me to college to play in Minnesota. Unfortunately, I tore my Achilles the third game of the season. After dropping out of school, I entered into sales, banking, and real estate. While working as a banker, my desire for writing kept me up at night. I decided to start my first novel in 2018. In March of 2020, I moved my family to Dallas. Right at the beginning of COVID, I did not know what to expect from a new territory with a new demographic of people. Nevertheless, my wife and I persevered and settled in quickly. In the spring of 2022, I finished Northern Lights with extreme joy. Northern Lights is set to release June 13th, 2023, one week before Juneteenth. Northern Lights is a young adult novel that incorporated many real-life issue like suicide, abuse, sexuality, and spirituality. Although it is targeted for young adults, this book reads well for adults of all ages. Many of the issues involve aspects of my own personal journey through life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the struggles that I had were adjusting to everything being new while everything was on lockdown. It was hard to make friends and network with the right people. I did not have a job for the first year and a half of being in Dallas while my wife worked as a labor and delivery nurse. It was tough because as a man, I felt worthless and less than who I was supposed to be. Gratefully, my wife and children supported along the way. Recently, my wife had a scare with an infection in her breast in the middle of my book being published. God has blessed her to recover fully, and the mass in her breast was not cancerous. Also, finishing up my bachelor’s degree has been a challenge as well. I am in my last semester at Grand Canyon University in English. I had many roadblocks where I had to delay school; however, I maintain my composure and pressed through the difficult trials.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in creative freedom in my writing. My creative direction is simple in writing. When readers dive into my words, I want all of their senses to be stimulated. I want them to hear the pots and pans clinging in the kitchen, I want them to feel the vibration of the subway train under their feet, I want them to hear the faint cries of a baby in the next room over. I want the readers to watch a movie while they are reading my stories. My editor was taken aback by my description and how I can connect with the reader. I am most proud of never giving up. I started and stopped about 100 times with Northern Lights. At one point, I was 3 chapters in and deleted everything because it was not what I wanted. What sets me apart from other writers is not only my creative advantage but my dedication to present the best quality writing I can give. When you read a book from Ruben Isiah Williams, you will not just read a good story; you will experience a realistic journey.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Firstly, people can support me by purchasing Northern Lights on Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, and Barnes & Noble. My goal is to get 1,000 students Northern Lights because I believe that they will be positively impacted by the novel. Also, I am looking to connect with writers who are aspiring to become an author. I believe that I am multifaceted as not only an author but a professional and creative coach as well. Lastly, I am open to work with professionals that have connections to take Northern Lights on the national stage.
Contact Info:
- Website: rubeniwilliams.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwillz13/?__coig_restricted=1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rwillz13
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rwillz013
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rwillz013
