The Scandalous Origins of a Faux, Fascinating Life 

THE SCANDALOUS ORIGINS OF A FAUX, FASCINATING LIFE 

by M J Robotham

In hindsight, it does seem odd that I’ve chosen to frame my writing of a feisty, tenacious and independent woman entirely within chapters devoted to men. The life of Ruby M Devereaux is laid out in twelve episodes, weaved through the relationship of each male acquaintance she so chooses – a good many lovers, though not exclusively. Almost from the cradle and into her ninth decade, writer Ruby has been sparky and opinionated, a smart social firefly who flits from country to country, gathering research for her books, laying out her passion for the printed page, but generally have a grand old time of it. So, why the need for men as a scaffold to her life? Isn’t that the antithesis of Ruby’s whole existence?  

But that’s the point: as with so much in her colourful life, Ruby calls the shots. And if it’s the male contingent she wants to help tell that tale, then men it is.

Of all the novels I’ve written – and a good deal have been about women with a fire in their belly – Ruby is the character that has led me by the hand towards the keyboard with gusto, and then simply got on with the job. It feels quite a cliché to say she wrote it herself (it is a faux memoir, after all), but in fact she did. Yes, I was present each and every day at my laptop, but once I understood her character, mindset and that playful irreverence towards life, not least the world of men, I was demoted to being the typist. Quite happily, as it turns out.

For some time, I’d had a notion to write a fake memoir, after reading William Boyd’s ‘Sweet Caress’, and being entirely hoodwinked by his creation of a character who – I was convinced – had lived not only on the page, but in the real world. Despite my Googling her existence, Boyd’s Amory Clay remained fictional. Ooh, I thought. You can magic beings into the world and make them stick, slotting them into history. 

As with so many of my books, she started with a single name, and blossomed from there. The inevitable interview followed, largely inside my own head: should you be my main character? Prove it. Who are you? What do you love and hate? What drives you? 

Turns out, Ruby loves writing above all else, the process of it, the highs and lows combined. But men come a close second, as does the inevitable game that goes with a courtship, even if the bedding and romance is often hopelessly tangled in Ruby’s existence. She thrives on the chase, whether it’s successful or not.

That pursuit for love, lust and satisfaction sees Ruby live through a testing time in women’s history; through her early years, contraception is not widespread, women’s pay derisory compared to men, and domestic violence not even an issue to be widely debated. These hurdles, however, do not prevent Ruby doing exactly what she wants, and with whom, though she risks her heart playing the price. It was through her journeying with men, rather than as reflected in them, that I witnessed Ruby’s true strength emerge. More than once, I pictured her as an obstinate flower that, despite rain, snow or hail, springs up time and again, never to beaten back by the world at large. 

In a practical sense, Ruby was a joy to lay on the page, largely because she started out as what my dear writer friend, Lorna (Elle) Cook, calls a ‘swerve project’ – no commission and no contract, ergo no expectations. Writing my contracted historical fiction in the morning, I needed something to occupy in the afternoons, because – despite being a ‘pantzer’ – I am one of those odd-bods who stick to a rigid daily wordcount on individual books. Hence Ruby’s blooming. All WIP’s in draft stage afford you the freedom to make mistakes, but here I was just going with the flow, Ruby sat on my shoulder and feeding me words. And sometimes barking in curmudgeonly fashion. If I never experience that seamless feeling again, I will always know the sensation of flying as I write. Bliss.  

But beware the author who doesn’t feel some foreboding as the words go down – it is in our blood, and certainly in mine. Happy side project or not, I needed some validation. When I submitted to my agent, Broo Doherty, it was tentatively, chapter by chapter, with a message, the subtext of which was: Is this worth pursuing, or am I just tinkering? 

‘It’s a goer,’ she came back. ‘What does she do next?’ 

And so, Ruby and I typed on, by which point I’d been promoted to the heady position of ghost writer. Finally, there she was: ninety years, twelve men, one whole life. Then the dreaded submission into the big, wide world, and a blissful ‘yes’ from a publisher, meaning Ruby was no longer a ‘swerve’ to my writing, but very, very real. 

Now that she’s in my hand, all 320 pages, I still think of her as a real entity, because in my head, she exists: rounded and flawed, but tangible. In Ruby’s own words, what the reader makes of it stands as the real test. Let’s see. 

Even so, I think I’ll have her perch on my shoulder for a little while longer. In a good mood, she’s excellent company.   

—

The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux, by M J Robotham, is published by Aria Fiction/Head of Zeus, in hardback, eBook and audio, April 11th 2024, available online and in all good bookshops. 

Everyone knows Ruby Devereaux’s books. But no one knows her story… until now.

THE SCANDALOUS LIFE OF RUBY DEVEREAUX

From a teenager in wartime England to a veteran of modern-day London – via 1950’s New York, the Swinging Sixties, Cold War Berlin, Venice and Vietnam – Ruby Devereaux has lived one hell of a life: parties, scandals and conflict zones, meeting men and adventure along the way. In a writing career spanning seven decades and more than twenty books, she’s distilled everything into her work. Or has she?

Now beyond her 90th year, Ruby’s energy is ebbing and her beloved typewriter put away. Until a call from her publisher presents Ruby with an ultimatum, and the impetus to embark on one last book – “warts and all”, as she says. Even in her dotage, Ruby.M Devereux has the power to surprise, because whatever this author does, she does on her own terms. Always.

Is Ruby finally about to reveal the secrets of her infamous life?

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing