Meet the Author
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you from?
Where are you from?
I'm from Alaska! The setting of Lockwell in The Source of Magic is heavily inspired by my experiences here. I've lived in a lot of places, though, including Annapolis, MD, Middletown, CT, Las Cruces, NM, Madison, WI, and Monterrey, Mexico. I wrote The Source of Magic and most of All's Fair in Love and Scholarship in Santa Clara, California.
What are you working on next?
What are you working on next?
As of April 2025, I have completed my new mystery novel, working title: All's Fair in Love and Scholarship, and I am querying agents with the goal of traditional publication. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates on my latest projects!
What genres do you write in?
What genres do you write in?
The first novel I ever finished, The Source of Magic, was a YA Fantasy, but I am currently most excited about writing mysteries like my current project, All's Fair in Love and Scholarship. I am also co-authoring a middle grade fantasy series, so I'm not closing any genre doors at this point!
Is Marina Ruhr your real name?
Is Marina Ruhr your real name?
No, Marina Ruhr is a pen name! By the time I got around to finishing a novel, I'd already started publishing academic papers under my real name, Kristen Luchsinger. I want people to be able to easily search my published works in either field, so I created a pen name for my fiction. You can find more information about my day job and my academic research at https://kluchsin.github.io/.
Wait, your day job is astronomy?
Wait, your day job is astronomy?
Yes - I research water ice on the Moon. I love it! Here's a picture of me (left) sitting in the dish of one of the telescopes at the Very Large Array, which you may remember from Carl Sagan's Contact.
What do you do for fun?
What do you do for fun?
I love baking, gardening, and listening to Taylor Swift! I also watch ice hockey, figure skating, and reality competition shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Jet Lag: The Game.
Who are your favorite authors?
Who are your favorite authors?
Everyone has that one fictional universe that lives in their heads at all times, and mine is the Tortall universe by Tamora Pierce! I credit the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane with shaping the way I think about science, beauty, and our place in the universe, and science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton, and Andy Weir with giving me a burning sense of curiosity about what's possible. Gail Carson Levine's books, like Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre, are true comfort books for me, as are the Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet and the Bartimaeus books by Johnathan Stroud never fail to make me laugh. I couldn't put down Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. The Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown was my introduction into the world of cozy mysteries, and I love mysteries set in Alaska like the Alaska Wild series by Paige Shelton. I'm going to leave it there, but of course there's a million other books and stories that have all shaped the way I see the world!
Are you okay with fanfiction?
Are you okay with fanfiction?
I love fanfiction! I've read a lot of fanfiction in my time - some of my favorite works ever have been fanfiction. If anyone ever wanted to create a fanwork based on my stories, I would be honored!
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