the time it was about by the horns

Posted September 1, 2025 by Stacee in Interviews | 0 Comments

when I got the invite to interview Ruby Dixon for the upcoming release By the Horns, I completely ignored it. I gleefully accepted the offer of an arc and it was only after the publicist again offered the interview that I said yes. I fully expected there would be several people asking for the chance and I was beyond thrilled to have it happen.

before we get to ruby’s (super fun) answers, let’s check out the book.

Title: By the Horns (Royal Artifactual Guild #2)
Author: Ruby Dixon
Pages: 368
Publisher: Ace Books
Pub Date: September 2, 2025
Find it: PRH | Bookshop | Goodreads

Synopsis: Gwenna has always considered herself a normal person. A former servant, she wants nothing more than to land a steady job with the Royal Artifactual Guild so she can make some steady coin to send home to her mother. She’s not special. She’s certainly not a necromancer. That would be impossible, given how necromancing (or any ‘mancing) is forbidden upon penalty of death. So if the dead keep talking to her? Well, she’s going to keep on ignoring them. They’re not going to stand in the way of her dreams.

Also standing in her way? One big, arrogant, far-too-flirty Taurian named Raptor. They slept together once, and now he wants more . . . but she doesn’t have time for that. Her focus is on being a fledgling, a trainee for the Royal Artifactual Guild. But Raptor won’t go away. He’s on a secret mission for the guild to find an artifact thief.

Problem is, he thinks the thief is Gwenna.

How can she convince Raptor that he’s got the wrong girl when all the signs point to her? And how do you tell a Taurian you can’t date him because you hear dead people and it might cost you your life?

sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for By the Horns.

I’m not good at elevator pitches! The first one I came up with is: A woman has necromantic powers she’s not supposed to and uses a minotaur for sex. Or how about: An artificer guild student is being framed and the minotaur trying to pin the evidence on her might also be in love with her. Closer? Maybe?

2. Which came first: the plot line or the characters?

The characters, absolutely. The moment I wrote Gwenna, I knew I wanted her to have a book. She was just all practicality and sass. Raptor is pure fun – who doesn’t love a flirty guy who (usually) doesn’t take life too seriously? I also knew they’d be a blast together – her brisk attitude with his flirty one = chef’s kiss.

3. Why do you love Gwenna and Raptor and why should readers root for them?

Gwenna is the girl who had nothing growing up who is trying to make something of herself. She has a chance and sees it slipping away. I relate to her hustle so much. She doesn’t have huge dreams of being wildly rich and famous – she just wants to be able to take care of her mom. Raptor is a bit of a playboy because of his nature, but the moment he ‘meets’ Gwenna, it’s over for him. I loved that he’s a big flirt but at heart, he just wants someone who accepts him wholly for who he is.

4. Were there any weird things you googled while researching?

Well, I’m constantly googling ‘decomposition of bodies’ when writing this series so that’s fun. How fast you die when your throat is cut, when does a body start to smell, etc. I think I also looked up a lot of caverns, too. I’m probably on a government watchlist now.

5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

Gosh, this whole book was so much fun. There were a lot of scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed, because of the interplay between the characters. I’d have to say anytime Kipp shows up, though. Those are some of my favorites. I adore Kipp.

Speed(ish) round:

1. You find out you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

Lots of screaming and/or crying.

2. What 3 things would you take to a desert island?

Sunblock, a satellite phone (to call a ride out of there) and a book – Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith, because every time I read it I discover new nuances.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Oop! See above – Last Hour of Gann.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

You have to think of it like the corporation it is. They don’t like your book’s title? It’s a corporate decision. Killed your series? Corporate decision. Passed on your next idea? Corporate decision. For me, it takes a lot of the personal feelings out of it to remember that it’s not one person making the decision, but a corporation. A corporation is legally obligated to make itself money so if it decides against you, it’s because they think you can’t make them enough money. Thinking of it as a faceless corporation instead of a specific editor makes me approach it differently. I treat trad publishing like contract work.

5. You wake up and discover that you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?

I take up a hobby in all that time when she’s moping about Edward during New Moon. Damn, girl, learn how to throw pottery.

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Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction and fantasy romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring.