About the Author - Ruth Marlene Friesen
A short biographical sketch of Ruth Marlene Friesen, author of Ruthe's Secret Roses.
Scan my early life and my my adult life in photos. Plus a page about how I learned to read English.
I'm a Canadian writer, who returned in 1983 to Hague, a prairie town in Saskatchewan, to be a full-time caregiver for my aged parents. My mother's frail health made me virtually house-bound until her death in November 1997. But after that I had plenty of time to write. My creative imagination and broad interests has led me to try many things, including crafts, making gift books by hand, family history books, tile-laying... you name it, I have not been afraid of work. In fact, sometimes I compare myself to the Rebecca in the Bible, who not only gave a cup of water when asked, but watered all of the stranger's camels too!
I love to read and write most of all, and find working on the internet and by email custom-made for me. Especially as I can customize my projects and working hours as I like. This is a place where I can finally be prolific and share out of my very brim-full heart and mind.
I worked on this novel of spiritual fiction many years, believing it will be a major accomplishment by God's grace. However there are more books in my imagination than I can write in one lifetime. I like to think: "Maybe things will go faster after this book flies on its own."
It took four days to drive to London, Ontario, all by myself in 1971 in pursuit of my publishing dream. I failed to find a publisher. Instead, there I became even busier in Church and Children's ministries. Besides being the part-time church secretary, while working as a receptionist in a light bulb factory. I was the first woman on my church's Executive Board. I have taught Sunday School since I was 17, and became the Superintendent of Sunday School at my then-current church (near Hague), where I lived with my father.
I had lived in London Ontario for 12 years. There, I was Coordinator and Chief Guide of Pioneer Girls Clubs, and wrote and directed an original summer program for church kids, But now, back in Hague, I became an AWANA Clubs Director and Secretary at the Neuanlage church for eight years, and for four summers, I both directed the Vacation Bible School, and designed/prepared all the crafts. All besides being the chief cook and maid for my parents.
Mom lived for 14 years, and for nine months we also had her mother, my beloved Gr'ma with us, which meant that I worked practically day and night. There was finally an opening for Gr'ma at the Rosthern Nursing Home, and the last 14 months of Mom's life were especially tough as she got dementia and it was impossible to reason with her.
After she died, I cleaned the house very thoroughly and then took Dad on a three-week vacation to visit relatives and friends in B.C. After that my priorities were, caring for my father, and my many internet ventures, including a weekly ezine, RoseBouquet, which kept fans and friends updated on the website and novel, and provides inspirational articles and profiles. I had worked since January 1999, at learning to explore and use the internet, designing web sites, making friends, all with the ultimate goal of publishing this book, Ruthe's Secret Roses, and the ones that will inevitably follow.
However, my research had shown that our family line - on Dad's side - were long-livers. One of his uncles got to be 104! (Currently, Dad's sister, my Aunt Jessie is 102). So I used to tease him in a resigned way, that we were stuck with each other until he was at least 100. But it didn't turn out that way. Dad died after just a short spell with a lung cancer, when he was 91 and 4 days. (See the History of the writing of this book for more details.)
More than anything else, I long to bring others to faith in Christ, and to have lots of money to give away to missionaries and people in need. Oh, how much I want to be a Giver like God!
Writing Credits:
Though Ruthe's Secret Roses is my first novel, I have written and self-published a number of family histories and genealogies, including, Grandpa's Stories, (1996, 1998); A Godly Inheritance, Our Neudorf Networks, and Our Friesens & Assorted Friesens. You can find them now (updated), on my genealogy website: A Godly Inheritance.
A More detailed credits listing is on this site.
You may reach me via the Contact Me form, or by
regular post using this address:
Ruth Marlene Friesen
903 23rd Street West
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7L 0A5 Canada
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 Ruth Marlene Friesen The Responsible One |
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©2001-2022 Ruth Marlene Friesen
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada