OLD TRICKS, NEW TREATS is book three of the BAG OF TRICKS trilogy: a compilation of short stories about San Francisco punks in the early 80’s.
- Your author’s note mentions drug use and trauma—why was it important not to “pull any punches”?
I told these stories like I remembered them. It was important to me to show how I experienced drug use (and abuse) without hiding any of that. You know, whenever I see needle use in a movie and they do it wrong, I shout at the screen, “Hey!!” I didn’t want anyone shouting at my books that it wasn’t like that. - How did you balance honesty with sensitivity when depicting addiction?
Honesty is only a good thing when it doesn’t harm someone and if it is truly necessary. When I depicted drug use and addiction in my tales, I wanted to show the uncertainty and innocence of that life, those choices. But also, there is the hesitancy about making any changes too- where do I go if I stop doing this? Who will I be? Who will be there with me? It’s all sensitive, even in the grittiest, harshest depths of drug addition. There is a grand balancing act that addicts do- putting themselves out there, losing themselves in whatever their drug of choice is, lying to one another and to themselves about how it affects the rest of their life. Eventually, you have to fess up to yourself, or you die, so at some point, you have to stop being sensitive, and start being honest to no end. - What do you hope readers who never lived that life will take away from these darker moments?
That the human mind and heart are resilient. That even in the depths of addition, there can be hope. That what a person does, or who they are, while deeply in the throes of addition doesn’t mean that’s who they truly are deep inside or in the end. That we all deserve a second- or third- chance. - How did community and self-destruction intertwine in the punk world?
Whew, there were bad times and there were gilded edges attached to them, for sure. Many of us self destructed with heavy drug use or drinking, often harming or trying to take others down with us. People ripped each other off. People hurt people. But then, there was a community that rose up at times to salvage what they could from these situations. Someone’s apartment got burned down? Let’s gather clothes and things those punks need. Someone is in the hospital? Let’s make sure their cat gets fed and we do what we can for them. Long before there were GoFundMes, the punks I knew stood up and helped one another in hard times. - Were there moments you hesitated to include because they felt too raw?
Nope, no way.
About:
OLD TRICKS, NEW TREATS is book three of the BAG OF TRICKS trilogy: a compilation of short stories about San Francisco punks in the early 80’s.
Follow the adventures of The Shits, Val, Sophie, Babs, Carla, Red, Marco, Bags and all the rest of the rag-tag gang of street punks that populate these stories. Ride with them as they hit new highs and lows, make mostly bad and occasionally good choices, and aim for uncharted lives in the end.
Link – https://amzn.to/4oFYSzL
About the Author
Ruby grew up in the foothills of Northern CA and the West Texas flatlands, riding horses in the back woods near Folsom Prison, and singing with family on the back porch. She attended SDSU at fifteen- studying electrical engineering and drama- then stumbled into life on the streets of San Francisco, enchanted by all the grime and glitz, the drugs and wild nights, even the discordance and insanity of life as a punk in those early days. Moving on, Ruby co-founded the North Coast California Earth First! in Arcata, CA while attending Humboldt State, and fished across Alaskan waters. Eventually, she moved to Seattle, WA where she opened a series of restaurants, then transitioned from restaurateur to singer/songwriter when she started the roots-rockabilly band Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers in 2002. Thrice Grammy-considered, they tour the world and produce award-winning records. In 2023, Ruby wrote Bag of Tricks after reconnecting with old punk friends and reminiscing about those lost years. Most of what she wrote came from events that really occurred, though Ruby took liberties and changed some details because she could. Find more at https://www.rubydeephilippa.com/
Find Part Four <a href=”https://bookiestavern.com/2025/11/17/old-tricks-new-treats-interview-part-4/”>HERE</a>