Today, I have author Ruta Levu in the interview chair. We’re discussing her latest release, Our Uncle’s Promise, an LGBTQ+ non-fiction title.
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1. Hi, Ruta. First, readers have an idea about the writer, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Ruta: Just like my book, I don’t like getting up early in the morning. If I am up early it’s either because of insomnia or having to catch an early flight. Just like everyone else, I eat breakfast, and start my day after. I call my sisters and we talk about what is going o in each others lives, and when we’re going to see each other next time.
2. I’ve been perusing your Goodreads page, and I see this is your first book. Can you tell me why you decided to write your memoir?
Ruta: I felt that my story needed to be told, especially with what has been going on with this current administration. People need to understand that great parents have nothing to do with sexuality, and that’s what my story supports.
3. Let’s talk about the main people in the book. Can you tell us about the two grandparents?
Ruta: Read the book. My grandmother, Vera, was born in Missouri and raised on a farm. She married her first husband, whom was several years older than her, and had two kids. The two kids in questions are my uncle, Jimmy, and my mother, Carolyn. When my mother was a baby, her father died due to syphilis. My grandmother was a widow with two young children when she met my grandfather, Pop, in Missouri. Out grandfather, Pop, was a migrant farm worker when he met our grandmother. They fell in love, moved to New Mexico, and got married. They had uncle Rueben in 1949. Our grandparents marriage was a mixed racial marriage, which was not legal in all states of the USA at that time. They moved to California after several years of living in New Mexico, settled there, and raised their family. Not all members of my grandmother’s family accepted their marriage.
Our grandfather, Pop, was ethnically Mexican American. Pop’s family has been in New Mexico for several generations. When he married my grandmother, there were many places where they could not eat together, however, they fell in love and raised a family. Pop was a middle child of eleven, and he spoke English and Spanish fluently. He was kind and loving to my uncle, Jimmy, my mother, Carolyn, and his own son, Rueben. He was a devout Catholic, and was a man of few words. The words he did speak, however, were always loving and kind to us. The biggest thing I remember about him was him sneaking three musketeers candy bars to us when we were in trouble or were feeling down.
4. What about the two uncles? Give us a brief overview of who they are.
Ruta: Uncle Rueben was a laid back, funny, kind, and patient man. He always wanted to take us on adventures whether it was just us getting ice cream cones, exploring San Francisco, or picking up Chinese pork buns. He loved to sing to music, and teach us disco dance moves. For example, my sisters and I learned the dance move, the hustle, from him. He loved us so much that he always put us first. The only time Rueben was not kind was when we played the game Monopoly. That’s when he became a loan shark. My uncle felt that his sexuality did not define him, but was just a part of who he was.
My uncle, Dana was kind, very funny, well read, and was humble. Uncle Dana had shared a few stories with us about his family where he was not accepted when he revealed he was gay. Uncle Dana said that he fell in love with Rueben first, then grandma, and then he fell in love with Pop. He said that he was surprised that he fell in love with us, the nieces, because he was not a kid-type person. He treated us nieces as if we were his own nieces, and there was not difference between how he treated us compared to how Rueben treated us. Dana helped us with our homework, cooked dinner for us, cleaned the house with us, and just became part of our lives.
5. The same for the four girls. Tell us who they are and why we should be interested in their story.
Ruta: Sina, the rabid squirrel, was the oldest of us four. Before our mother died Sina was bossy, but she wasn’t so grumpy. Sina’s response to our mother’s death was to become more serious, responsible, and became grumpy. Sina always looked out for all of us, and I did not notice that until I wrote the book. When Oli and Carolyn got taken, she took her to school every morning until the time she got married and left.
Oliana, the dimple, was the jokester when we were kids. She always tried to make us laugh. However, when out father took her away, she became a silent shell of her former self. Our stepmother did not allow her to voice her opinion on anything, so Oli just became quiet. However, as an adult, Oli found her voice again, and became a jokester again.
Carolyn, and I have no nickname for her- not because we didn’t think of her fondly, but because she had our mother’s name, and that was good enough for us. Carolyn was funny, sweet, kind, and quiet. When she was taken by our father, she, too, became silent. However, when she became an adult, she found humor again and she became the sister that held the rest of us together.
6. How is your memoir different from other memoirs/autobiographies?
Ruta: I don’t know. But I do know this: my book supports parents who are not the conventional definition of what a parent should be. Our parents were our grand parents, who were at the end of their life cycle, but who still loved us and attended every school event. Our parents were two gay men who sacrificed their lives for us. In summary, our story was how our parents showed us how to smile and laugh in the rain,
7. Do you have plans to write another book?
Ruta: Yes. Sina, the rabid squirrel, has encouraged me to write more about our adventures.
8. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
Homecoming. It is a movie about four children who get abandoned by their mother, and have to find their way home to their grandmother. - What book is currently in your e-reader?
Accidental Magic by Iris Beaglehole - Who’s your favourite musical group?
Earth, Wind, and Fire. - What song puts a smile on your face?
Best of My Love by the Emotions
9. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ruta: The reason my book took so long to complete is that I had a hard time reliving the sad chapters of my life. Sometimes we all want to forget the sadness in our life. However, my uncles and grandparents made our lives so much brighter than the sad parts.
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Title: Our Uncle’s Promise
Author: Ruta Levu
Genre: LGBT Non-fiction
Themes: Family love, loss, two straight older people, two gay men, coming out and learning to smile again
Heat Rating: No sexual content
Length: 367 pages
Release Date: July 31, 2025
Publisher: Book Writing Maestros
Pierre was the turkey demon from hell.
Sina was demoted from she-demon status to rabid squirrel with active rabies status.
Ruta was the unicorn that farts rainbows and saw the evilness of Sina, the rabid squirrel with active rabies.
Blurb: This is a story about two grandparents, two gay uncles and four little girls growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. The girls’ mother had passed away and their father was transferred by the military so the maternal grandparents and uncle raised the girls. The book is about learning to smile and laugh after loss. Also, this story includes a mean turkey named Pierre and a sassy adorable diva.
This story is about loss but also about unconditional love and the adventures with fun loving uncles around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The story goes through the heart break that the little girls should not have had to face so young, but they were rescued by their grandparents and their loving uncles. The four little girls learned that there is a rainbow after the rain and that you can laugh and smile after loss. In our lifetime a door may have closed but a window opened for unconditional love and an occasional disco dance with the uncles.
Note: It is a standalone book
Buy Links – Hardback, Paperback, and E-book
Barnes & Noble | Amazon US | Amazon UK
It was Halloween of 1974, and I have to admit, my costume was awesome. Sina, though, looked like a boring farmer’s wife or whatever lives on a farm.
“You girls look so adorable! Aww…” Uncle Rueben praised, reaching out to hug us close.
“No, Uncle Rueben, don’t hug us yet,” I warned. “I don’t want my red cape to get all wrinkled and smashed.” I held up my hands to ward off the hug coming our way.
On Halloween night in 1974, Sina was dressed like Dorothy from the movie The Wizard of Oz. I was dressed as Red Riding Hood with a kick-butt red cape. Oli wore a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume and mask.
I have to admit, I was A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E with a capital A, but I knew I had to stay humble. Sina looked like a boring farmer’s wife in a blue checkered dress and red shoes. My red cape, on the other hand, made me feel like I could save the world—or at least that’s how I felt wearing it.
Rueben drove us to a swanky part of San Francisco, known for giving out full-size candy bars.
“All you girls stay by my side. No running ahead, and always hold each other’s hands when going up to a door. Never leave my side unless I give you permission, okay?” With the safety instructions given, Rueben led the way with a nod of his head.
Back in the 1970s, everyone seemed to give out candy, and all the kids dressed up for Halloween.
As we made our way from house to house, Uncle Rueben could be heard shouting, “Oli, don’t let go of my hand yet!” or “Sina, Ruta, don’t run too far ahead of me!”
“Hold Oli’s hand now and go up to the door. Be nice and say thank you when they give you candy,” Uncle Rueben called as we hurried toward a house with its porch light on.
Ring. Ring. Sina usually pressed the doorbell. We waited in excitement. A few moments passed. No one answered. We were the only kids at that door. Ring. Ring.
“I don’t think anyone’s giving out candy at this house,” Sina said with a sigh.
We had almost turned around when the door creaked open, and a strange fog rolled out from within. Suddenly, a lady in ragged white clothes appeared, arms raised, screaming in our faces!
“Aah! Aah! Aah!” The three of us screamed right back at the scary ghost lady! I dropped Oli’s hand like a hot rock and bolted from the porch. I thought we had all run, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. In that moment, I didn’t care if Sina or Oli made it out—I was in danger of being killed!
I figured I just needed to be faster than Oli, and I’d be safe. “You only have to outrun the slowest person,” was something Grandma and Pop used to say when watching TV shows. Plus, I wasn’t that attached to Oli. She could always flash her dimpled smile, and maybe the killer scary ghost lady would spare her. Honestly, I didn’t care if either of them was left behind—all I knew was it was every girl for herself. And I should add: not only did I save myself, but I also made sure to save my candy bag. Apparently, danger didn’t mean leaving behind my hard-earned candy stash.
“Run, Uncle Rueben! Let’s go!” I screamed, racing toward where the car was parked. We were going to make it! I didn’t care who else survived.
Uncle Rueben, however, didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of our situation. He was doubled over, laughing hysterically. Fine—let the killer scary ghost lady get him. Then I stopped in my tracks. NO! Uncle Rueben had to survive—he was our ride home!
Little did I know that Sina was right behind me until I turned to look for Uncle Rueben. Of course, she hadn’t warned him to run like I had. She only cared about herself. Big question—who was going to drive us home? I couldn’t drive. Sina couldn’t drive. Uncle Rueben had to survive. Unlike me, Sina had no long-term vision.
Uncle Rueben was still bent over, laughing. Oli was hugging his legs. How could he laugh? Did he not realize we were all in mortal danger?
Uncle Rueben walked confidently towards the danger, and I saw him pick up Oli’s shoe that she lost trying to run or whatever she did, away from the killer scary ghost lady.
“Run, Uncle Rueben! Come on, you’re in danger!” I shouted.
Sina and myself were breathing like we had just ran a few miles when we had only run a half block. I started noticing other kids staring at us, and parents chuckling. Did I mention that adults sometimes have no sense of urgency? What was wrong with them? Did they not realize there was a killer scary ghost lady in that house?
Finally, Uncle Rueben reached us and the car. It took him forever, but at least he was still alive.
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Ruta Levu, the unicorn that farts rainbows, is currently married and lives in the Pacific Northwest. Ruta has a daughter and five fur babies. I am the crazy cat lady on the block and proud of it. I speak with and see my sisters often. I still bring my glittery joy and happiness to my sisters’ lives to this day.
Follow Ruta: Facebook
Maggie Blackbird 