Marina Ruhr is writing
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marinaruhr.bsky.social
Marina Ruhr is writing
@marinaruhr.bsky.social
300 followers 480 following 39 posts
Alaskan aspiring author of mysteries and thrillers. Avid gardener, baker, and reader, and a scientist by trade.
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marinaruhr.bsky.social
A red tulip, fully open, with a yellow ring around a black center
May 12, 2025 at 12:45 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
An agent’s guide to:

All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a 73,000 word adult mystery novel with cozy elements and a romance subplot. Featuring a diverse cast of characters reminiscent of the TV show Community with the touch of absurdity you can only find on a college campus.

#QuestPit #Q #MY #A
An Agent’s Guide to All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a college mystery by Marina Ruhr. 73,000 words. Set in Annapolis, Maryland with cozy elements and a romance subplot. Background picture is a snowy brick colonial building in Annapolis. The Pitch. When a disastrous mistake in class spirals into a heated exchange at a party, college student and part-time barista Anise looks like a suspect in the murder of her friend Cody. Afraid the school will revoke her scholarship if they think she’s a killer, Anise sets out to clear her name. She jumps from one suspect to the next, wearing out the patience of the detective assigned to Cody’s case. Her investigation leads her into a tangled web of love triangles, alcohol poisoning, and even corporate espionage. Just when Anise thinks she’s cracked the case, her prime suspect, Calvin, saves her from an attack by the real killer. After the death of yet another student, Anise realizes that the killer is only targeting scholarship recipients. Even as students start fleeing campus, Anise refuses to abandon her five year plan so easily. With Calvin, a former Navy sailor, helping her investigate, Anise is in a race to track down the killer before the campus gets shut down for good. Comp titles: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban Tropes: Suspect turned investigation partner…turned crush? Amateur sleuth Death of a friend Academic anxiety Diverse cast of characters The absurdity you can only find on a college campus - think the TV show Community Excerpt: Anise paced across the few feet of floor space between her bed and Diane’s, pulling anxiously at the hairs at the end of her braid. “What if Detective Talbrook actually thoughtI killed him? What if the school thinks I did it? They could take away my scholarship!” Diane slowly turned to face her. “That’s what you’re worried about?” Anise flushed. “I mean,” she hedged. Diane threw her hands up. “Anise, someone died! This isn’t about your scholarship!”
May 7, 2025 at 11:23 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Now querying!

Anise doesn’t have time for petty college drama until she becomes a suspect in the murder of her friend Cody. Now she must uncover the secrets around her to clear her name and save her scholarship.

73,000 word mystery with cozy elements and a romance subplot.

#QuestPit #Q #MY #A
A mood board for the mystery novel All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship by Marina Ruhr. Tagline: What would you do for a full ride? Pictures include: a row of books in a library; a snowy colonial brick building from Annapolis, Maryland; a brunette girl standing in a snowy landscape; a coil of rope on a dock; and the inside of a college study area.
May 7, 2025 at 10:30 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
For the code breakers out there - what do you think these labels mean? Hint: these are both pepper varieties.
Two pots of pepper plants labeled “Havanah Ooh na na” and “JP Morgan”.
April 23, 2025 at 2:27 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Now querying: All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a 73,000 word adult mystery novel with cozy elements and a romance subplot. Featuring a diverse cast of characters reminiscent of the TV show Community with the touch of absurdity you can only find on a college campus.

#PosterPit #PosterPitQ #A #M
A movie-style poster for All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a novel by Marina Ruhr. What would you do for a full ride scholarship? The poster shows a brunette girl with blue eyes against a snow covered pine tree.
April 19, 2025 at 9:17 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
TV’s Community x Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert

All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a 73,000 word adult mystery with cozy elements, humor, and a romance subplot, using a fictional college campus in Annapolis, MD to achieve the classic cozy mystery community.

#PosterPit #PosterPitQ #A #M
A movie poster for #PosterPit with a picture of a colonial brick Annapolis building in the snow. Now Querying: All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship. A novel by Marina Ruhr. What would you do for a full ride scholarship? With the stress of grades and homework looming over her, Anise doesn’t have time for petty college drama. Unfortunately, when she becomes a suspect in the murder of her friend Cody, she has no choice but to dig into the secrets all around her.
April 19, 2025 at 4:36 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Anise doesn’t have time for petty college drama until she becomes a suspect in the murder of her friend Cody. Now she must uncover the secrets around her to clear her name and save her scholarship.

73,000 word adult mystery with cozy elements and a romance subplot.

#PosterPit #A #M #PosterPitQ
A movie poster for All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, a novel by Marina Ruhr. A brunette girl stands in the snow with a mysterious smile. The logline is What would you do for a full ride scholarship? College mystery, cozy elements, romance subplot, amateur sleuth.
April 19, 2025 at 7:35 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
After many rounds of edits, I’m excited to say that I am now querying my college mystery novel, All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship! Wish me luck in the query trenches! 😅
A picture of a Maryland colonial building in the snow. Title: All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship. Subtext: A Mystery with Cozy Elements. 71,000 words. Set in Annapolis, Maryland. By Marina Ruhr.
April 7, 2025 at 11:49 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Who needs fireworks?
A picture of red and green northern lights A picture of green northern lights behind the silhouette of a tree A picture of red and green northern lights A picture of a person in silhouette looking at northern lights
January 1, 2025 at 8:03 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
It’s my philosophy that a cutout cookie should be so delicious on its own they never last long enough to get frosted! (The trick is to use a recipe with a whole block of cream cheese 😋)
A tray of cutout Christmas cookies shaped like stockings
December 23, 2024 at 11:54 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
This has been an intensely busy month or so. I’ve solo managed a move, finished a scientific paper and a grant proposal, completed a course of vision therapy that massively helped my migraines. Somehow, with all of that being said, I have also *completed the first draft of my cozy mystery WIP*. 😅😴🥳
A mood board for All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship, featuring: snow, books, Annapolis, MD
December 14, 2024 at 1:28 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
After a heated exchange at a party, college student Anise looks like a suspect in her friend’s murder. When she discovers that the victims are all scholarship kids, she must work with her former suspect turned crush to find the real killer - before she ends up dead herself.

#MiseryPit #A #COM #WIP
Title page for “All’s Fair in Love and Scholarship”, a cozy college mystery with a projected word count of 59,000 words. A mood board with images of Maryland colonial buildings, books, and snow.
December 1, 2024 at 7:03 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Final numbers for my November challenge: I added 25,000 words to my cozy college mystery, and while I didn’t finish the first draft, I’m only ~10,000 words away!
A word count tracker with a final November word count challenge count of 25,324 words added
December 1, 2024 at 7:45 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Pear custard pie update! It came out beautifully this year 😍
A picture of a pear custard pie
November 28, 2024 at 10:43 PM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
There’s nothing like hitting a nice, round word count number to trick you into stopping for the day!
A word count tracker with daily, monthly, and November challenge goals listed.
November 22, 2024 at 6:34 AM
marinaruhr.bsky.social
Hello! I’m an aspiring author currently working on a cozy college mystery, and I’m excited to join what seems to be a really cool group of authors and aspiring authors here. 😊
A picture of a woman wearing an orange sw
November 18, 2024 at 9:14 PM