What was Ruta Sepetys education?

Hillsdale College is a private conservative liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its liberal arts curriculum is based on Western heritage as a product of Greco-Roman culture and Christian tradition.

What did Ruta Sepetys study?

Ruta attended college to study opera but instead graduated with a degree in International Finance. Prior to publishing her first novel, she spent 20 years in the music industry helping artists and songwriters distill story through song.

Why did Ruta Sepetys become a writer?

There are millions of people whose lives were taken or affected during the Soviet occupation. Yet very few people know the story. I wanted to write a novel to honor the people of the Baltics and also to illustrate the power of love and patriotism.

Where did Ruta Sepetys grow up?

With an older brother and sister to lead the way, Ruta and her siblings were happily born and raised in Detroit, MI, by their Lithuanian father and American mother; both of whom were artistic in nature and nurtured the love of the arts in their children.

When did Ruta Sepetys start writing?

Sepetys published her first novel in 2011 and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Meet the Author: Ruta Sepetys

Who is Ruta Sepetys literary agent?

Sepetys wrote what would finally become “Between Shades of Gray” in 2005-06. Her agent, Steve Malk, sold it to Philomel Books, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, in late 2007, but it wouldn't be released until 2011. “The crossover between music and writing books is real interesting to me,” Malk said.

Why did Ruta Sepetys write Salt to the Sea?

It was inspired by her father's and grandfather's experiences as Lithuanian refugees. Sepetys' new book, Salt to the Sea, also draws on a family history from that era. It's about the doomed German ship Wilhelm Gustloff, which was sunk by three Russian torpedoes in January 1945.

Is Between Shades of Gray a true story?

Based on the true stories of Baltic citizens, Between Shades of Gray is a detailed, riveting, and thought-provoking story of the terrors that the Baltic people faced during WWII under Stalin. In 1939, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and annexed them as part of the USSR.

Is there a Salt to the Sea movie?

Universal Pictures is developing a movie based on Ruta Sepetys' historical novel “Salt to the Sea,” and set up the project with “Transformers” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The studio won the rights in an auction.

Is Ruta Sepetys writing another book?

Ruta Sepetys's New Novel Draws on the True Story of Romanian Teens Working in a Spy Network. The upcoming historical thriller, I Must Betray You, will be released in February 2022.

Where did between shades of gray take place?

In the book Between the Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys gives a very compelling account of the Soviet invasion of the country of Lithuania in 1941.

When was between shades of gray written?

by Esther Hautzig. Originally published in 1968, this wonderful autobiography for young adults tells the story of Esther Rudomin, a ten-year-old from a prominent Jewish family deported from Vilna, Poland to Siberia by the Soviets.

When was between shades of gray published?

Between Shades of Gray is the debut novel by Ruta Sepetys, published in 2011. It follows a fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl and her family as they are evicted from their home and relocated to Siberia under the harsh rule of Stalin and the USSR.

Who is Steven Malk?

Steven Malk is a children's book literary agent at New York-based Writers House, one of the largest agencies in the world. He works out of the San Diego office, which he opened for Writers House in 1998. As an agent, Steven teams up with authors to help them achieve their publishing goals.

Who does Writers House represent?

Writers House represents writers of fiction and non-fiction, for both adult and juvenile books as well as illustrators.

Who got Emilia pregnant in Salt to the Sea?

It is revealed that Emilia is eight months pregnant from an assault by Russian soldiers; Florian, the restoration artist, is on the run for stealing a piece of art of the Amber Room; and Joana feels responsible for some of the deaths of her family.