Blog Tour & Author Interview: Lost And Found by Ronald L. Ruiz

Book Details:
Book Title:  Lost and Found by Ronald L. Ruiz
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 292 pages
Genre:  Literary
Publisher:  Embajadoras Press
Release date:  June 2021
Formats available for review: ebook (mobi for kindle, PDF)
Tour dates: September 20 to October 8
Content Rating:  R – Includes f-words and profanities throughout, one sex scene

Book Description: 
​When community leaders began to doubt Abel Mendoza, the law practice he had spent years building began to crumble. It was the 1960s and there was but a handful of Mexican lawyers in California. Abel had worked tirelessly to earn respect in the courts, avoiding any semblance of a personal life to achieve his goals. Now, his personal and professional lives had collided and he found himself being rejected by the community that had previously supported and admired him. His fears of inadequacy kindled, Abel began to question who he really was, what he did, and where he belonged. A desire to avoid these questions and the people who had provoked them sent this small-town lawyer on a trip to escape not only his community but his own self-doubts, and into a relationship that changed his life completely.

Author Interview

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I am now retired but  for 36 years I was a lawyer in California.  For 31 of those years I was a defense attorney and prosecutor in the criminal courts.  The exposure I had with people from all walks of life, and with the court system itself, in my work as a lawyer was a blessing and a gift for my writing.  I have published seven novels and a memoir and each of those is ladened with what I saw and experienced in my practice of criminal law.  All of my books would be very different books if I had not been a lawyer.  120 Days could not have been written except for my work in the criminal courts.  In 120 Days an accomplished trial lawyer falls in love with her court appointed in custody client who was then charged with a death penalty murder.  Almost everything in that book takes place in the courts or in the jail. How the criminal court system works is a big part of that book

Lost and Found is about a lawyer seeking his identity.  Much of Happy Birthday Jesus deals with a prison system. My memoir, A Lawyer, is about the California criminal justice system.  I wonder what I would have, or could have written if I had not been a lawyer involved in a criminal justice system. 

Meet the Author

Ronald L. Ruiz is the author of a memoir and six previous novels. His novel Giuseppe Rocco (1998) received the national literary prize, 1998 Premio Aztlán Award, and his novel Life Long (2017) was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2017. His work has been compared to Richard Wright’s Native Son (Publisher’s Weekly, featured review) and his writing described as “frighteningly real” (New York Newsday). Ron was born and raised in Fresno, California, and educated at St. Mary’s College, University of California, Berkeley Law, and University of San Francisco School of Law. Ron practiced law for over 30 years in California, as a Deputy District Attorney, criminal defense attorney, and Deputy Public Defender. He was appointed to the California Agriculture Labor Relations Board by Governor Jerry Brown in 1974, and later served as the District Attorney of Santa Cruz County, California. Ron retired from criminal law and continues to write every day.

Connect with the Author:  ​website ~ facebook ~ goodreads 

Giveaway: https://gleam.io/BtSvO/lost-and-found-book-tour-giveaway

Why Should You Read This?

The book is well-written, albeit has a slow pace. It is under 300 pages, and makes for a quick read. The book follows Abel Mendoza on his journey of self-discovery. Abel builds his career and reputation, only to find it shattered. Abel however, picks up the pieces and works on rebuilding himself. We can all relate to having come across pivotal moments or events that have caused us to rebuild our lives. Its short, quick and an entertaining read.