Let me begin by welcoming you to the official Ruby Jean Jensen website! My name is Aaron K. Thompson and I am the webmaster of this site. Ruby authorized the creation of this website in January of '97. It is an honor for me to maintain this website for her and I hope it is of benefit to other Ruby Jean Jensen fans online.
Let me tell you a little bit about my interest in Ruby Jean Jensen. In 1986 I purchased my first Jensen book entitled Wait And See. The book was absolutely fantastic and - within a matter of days - I read the entire thing! Several weeks later, I decided to have a garage sale. Wait And See was accidentally placed into a box of books I was selling, and was sold. I was very angry at myself for allowing this to happen, but I immediately took action by visiting a local bookstore. To my sheer horror, I was informed that the book had gone out-of-print. This began my extensive search for Wait and See. Little did I realize that my search would last for six long years!
1992 came along and I still hadn't managed to obtain a copy of Wait and See. In desperation, I decided to send Ruby Jean Jensen a letter c/o Zebra Books. I honestly didn't expect to obtain a response...
Approximately one month later, I arrived home from school to find a parcel from Ruby Jean Jensen waiting for me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the manilla envelope. My heart began to palpitate, and I gently opened the envelope. Inside was a brand new copy of Wait and See, with a complete list of Ruby's works. This copy of Wait and See was one of Ruby's last copies. The novel was signed with the following inscription:
Best wishes to Aaron Thompson.
(this was my last copy, as you can see,
other than the one in my personal collection.
I hope you will keep it, always)
Ruby Jean Jensen Aug. 28, 1992
I was so pleased with how everything turned out regarding Wait and See that I decided to write an article about my search for Ruby Jean Jensen's out-of-print novel. The Sackville Tribune Post was happy to put my article on the front page of their newspaper in September, 1992. The article can be accessed here.
Shortly after the newspaper article was printed, CBC radio called me to request a radio interview. I willingly complied, and the interview was set to go live in a few days. I was quite nervous, but things turned out fine. Click here for a segment from the interview.
Through the list that Ruby sent me I discovered that she had written numerous books which I had never heard of before. So, I set about finding them! Most of the books which I didn't have were from the 1970s. They were very difficult to find, and it took me approximately two and a half years to find them all! I had to write to over 500 used bookstores to locate these old paperback horror novels. Here is where I managed to find Ruby's out-of-print books from the 1970's:
THE HOUSE THAT SAMAEL BUILT.
Through a used bookstore in Alabama.
SEVENTH ALL HALLOWS' EVE.
Blue Star Bookstore in Putnam, Connecticut.
THE GIRL WHO DIDN'T DIE.
River Oaks Books in Jay, Maine.
HOUSE AT RIVER'S BEND.
Pandora's Books in Neche, North Dakota.
SATAN'S SISTER.
Abracadabra Booksearch in Denver, Colorado.
CHILD OF SATAN HOUSE.
Pandora's Books in Neche, North Dakota.
DARK ANGEL.
Pandora's Books in Neche, North Dakota.
For my recommendations about how to find Ruby's older books, please go here for more information.
Ruby Jean and I still correspond frequently. If you wish to send her a letter you can simply e-mail it to me and I will forward it to her. Ruby appreciates her fans very much.
UPDATE: On July 23, 1999, I enjoyed a lovely visit with Ruby Jean in her Arkansas home. She was very hospitable and the visit is something I shall always remember... Ruby was even kind enough to provide me with an autographed copy of an article she had written for "True Confessions" magazine back in the late 70s. I was not even aware that this existed!
Return to THE OFFICIAL RUBY JEAN JENSEN WEBSITE.
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