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His Novel Targets Terrorists

Donald Ruch didn’t start writing novels until he needed something to keep his mind off the death of his wife two years ago. Since then the Easton tax consultant has written two more and is working on a fourth.

“Before I wrote this book … I never had a desire to write a book and it never had occurred to me in my entire life,”  Ruch said of “Dangerous Solution,” which was published in August. It centers on a group of characters who intend to stop suicide bombings by telling the media they will track down and kill the family members of every suicide bomber. He said he got the idea about 10 years ago but did not start putting the story together until 2008.

Ruch, who served in the Navy in 1945-46, got into the  plastics packaging industry in 1951 and eventually launched his own company. In the mid ’70s he began working as a financial and tax consultant, a job he is trying to gradually retire from.

“Of all the things I’ve done in my life, [writing] was the thing I’ve really enjoyed doing most,” he said. It has also helped the former Weston and Norwalk resident through tough times. After his wife died in May of 2008, working on his book everyday helped keep his mind occupied. After long days of writing almost daily and doing hours of research at the Easton Library, he finished the novel in September.

“Then, of course, the hard part started, which is trying to get published,” said Ruch. He sent his story idea to 50 agents and 15 small publishers before finally getting an e-mail from Comfort Publishing in North Carolina.

“At first I thought it was a joke, I just hardly believed it, but sure enough a contract arrived,” said Ruch He has since written two other books, which are waiting to be picked up by a publisher, both sequels to the first. And he has already started a fourth.

“The thing that was most gratifying was that I enjoyed it so much -- and I still do.”

 

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