PUBLISHED WORKS
Ruby & Spear (1996)
"A luminous novel that burns with the emotional depth and intelligence of its memorable characters."
—Bob Spitz
I published Ruby & Spear in 1996, ten years after my previous novel Night Train was published. I had written three major novels and two large collections of short stories in that time that no New York house would touch, and so the sale of Ruby & Spear to Bantam was a major event in my life.
Ruby & Spear is a favorite among my most devoted readers — even for those who are not basketball fans. Women especially like this book, the women characters being wonderfully strong. And almost everyone who reads the book tells me, "This would make a fantastic movie."
Alas, this novel was remaindered (taken out of print) the same week it was published, and just a few days BEFORE it got a very nice miniature review in The New York Times. It was never distributed beyond a few bookstores, and never advertised. A prescient woman working for Oprah's film company was interested in the book for a few weeks but could find no support for the project among her more mainstream comrades.
Copies of Ruby and Spear can be found on the internet (such as Amazon) for bargain prices.
The audiobook edition of this novel, with original piano interludes by Todd, is now available on audible.com.
You can listen to a substantial sample on the Listen Page.
Available from Penguin Random House.
Or ALIBRIS.