Cranberry author jumps genres; newest book a family drama
Chloe Ruffennach, a 2017 Seneca Valley Senior High graduate, sold 150 copies of her first book, “Sirens,” which is a science fiction novel.
Now, she is preparing for the Oct. 26 release of her second work, “Wisteria Drive,” which she calls a family drama.
Clearly, Ruffennach, of Cranberry Township, isn’t limiting herself to any one genre when it comes to her writing.
“It’s kind of whatever inspires me at the moment,” she said. “(Wisteria Drive) was written in 2020, when I had a lot of time during lockdown.”
She also has written high fantasy and contemporary fiction, which has not yet been published.
“I try not to restrict myself,” Ruffennach said.
She said “Wisteria Drive” follows the protagonist, Amy Montgomery, as she moves to a gated cul-de-sac “that’s good at keeping people out and keeping secrets in.”
In the story, Montgomery moved to the cul-de-sac to be near her wealthy in-laws.
The action is set on a beach in a fictional town near Pensacola, Fla. Ruffennach used her experiences on beaches in Virginia and Florida to create the subtropical setting.
“I kind of follow the idea that you should write what you know,” she said.
Ruffennach, who graduated from Ohio University with a degree in strategic communications, wrote fictional stories all through her public school years. She credits a few Seneca Valley teachers with encouraging her to go further with her skill.
She recalled Natalie Green’s creative writing classes when she was a junior and senior at Seneca Valley.
“She was very kind with her feedback, which I think made me want to continue writing,” Ruffennach said.
She also named Paolo Tolomeo, her sixth-grade teacher at Haine Middle School, as one of her writing heroes.
“He was really encouraging for me to just continue writing creatively,” Ruffennach said. “He was the first person to see I might have a talent for it.”
While Ruffennach plans to continue in her job as a digital marketing specialist for Guardian Protection in Marshall Township, she said a girl can dream.
“In my wildest dreams, I’m the next J.K. Rowling,” she said, “but I think more realistically, I’d like to be recognized for my writing, but I don’t perceive it as my job.”
