“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word”
Margaret Atwood
Jane E. Ruth, children’s author
After retiring from a forty-eight-year nursing career, I live in Boquete, Panama. MY STORY now is that I am a children’s writer or author. I take writing classes online and have written and published 8 picture books, a recent chapter book for ages 6-10, and three coloring books. Therefore, I am in process, and my motto is “Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it,” Salvador Dali. That sentence helps when I become too worried about getting everything “right” before I go on and finish a book. I leave that to the editors to doublecheck me. However, my motto does not mean that I don’t strive for excellence.
MISSION WORK
Meanwhile, my husband and I have Cleft of the Rock Ministries and work mainly with the Ngäbe-Buglé people. We support three feeding programs with afterschool programs at present. A feeding program only in the Oma community is another endeavor we help to provide.
Chorcha completion
The children’s feeding shelter in Chorcha is completed. We are involved with the project with Proeducann. Proeducann is a new Ngäbe organization whose founders are excited about helping their people. Check out my Ngäbe Social Tidbits page for continued updates on happenings of the Ngäbe Nation.
We drilled a water well also, and of course the Ngäbes were excited! God is good.
NGÄBE EDUCATION STORY
As you can see, the Ngäbe people are close to my heart, and we want to encourage them to be all they can be. Education is so important. We helped one Ngäbe to attend Oteima University, and he graduated in the fall of 2020. At present 2025, we helped another Ngäbe to attend Oteima and he graduated this year. Good news!
Nite Nite, Puppies
Ngäbe coloring book
Beyond the Yellow Door
Beyond the YELLOW DOOR 2023 Mom’s Choice Award Gold Seal 2024
This book just won a Firebird Book Award also, second place 2025. Beyond the Yellow Door has 3 awards!
Coloring book
Here is one of my toddler books in the series of Nite Nite books, I have 3, and am presently working on Duckies. One of my newest picture books is Benny the Boa, he likes chili’s, a folklore story from the Ngäbe Comarca with a message. Double Trouble on the Comarca is my newest chapter book.
A free reader magnet, Jane E. Ruth’s Collection Activity Book, is available when you sign up for my email mailing list. It is a 28 page activity book with a few coloring pages included. I also give small freebies in my newsletter mailing list from time to time. To sign up, there is a pop-up that appears or you can go to my landing page Jane’s Writing & Mission Adventures and halfway down the page is a button to click on to sign up.
CURRENT ENDEAVORS
In conclusion, to MY STORY, I just published a chapter book for 6-10 year olds. Double Trouble on the Comarca is about a 10 yr old girl on the Comarca with a pet baby green iguana. They both cause chaos throughout the story. I have some stories from the Comarca never published-passed down verbally mostly and everyone contributes! Nathan Neque and Benny the Boa are adapted stories.
WRITING MORE BOOKS Writing some more books for the Ngäbe children about the Comarca is a continuing dream. I also am writing books for 1-3 year old’s. Grandmothers who stopped by my bookstand at the Market wanted some books for toddlers. I have a series of Nite Nite books, Puppies, Kitty Cats, and Piggies. I am working on my fourth book Nite Nite, Duckies.
WRITING ORGANIZATIONS
CBI Badge
Additionally, the groups I belong to are SCBWI, Children’s Book Insider, ALLI, and a new one NABE National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.I also belong to some writing groups on the internet.
Society of
Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators