Author Interview: R. M. Ridley

I will be reviewing R. M. Ridley's second book in his White Dragon Black world. If you're interested in checking out the first book in the series, Tomorrow Wendell, then click here to check it out: http://amzn.to/2gKlHlJ

He also agreed to allow me to interview him which was tons of fun. I love doing interviews because I love learning about the authors.

If you'd like to learn more about Ridley and his books then be sure to check out his website: http://ravennotathome.wixsite.com/rmridley

1. What authors did you dislike at first, but grew into?

For many years, I couldn't get into a Stephen King book to save my life. My wife would make me read short stories, sure that 'This One' would change my mind. I guess she was right, because at some point along the way, I came to truly appreciate the man's writing.

2. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

That has to be one of the most intriguing interview question I've ever been asked - and perhaps the hardest to answer. Perhaps it was due to sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World'. My parents had purchased the audio book on tape (yes, that long ago). We would, on occasion, 'camp out' in the living room, complete with fire in the fireplace, and listen to the story being told with no light but the flickering flames. The ability to be absorbed into the world those words created, was delightful...and, perhaps, formative.

3. What's your favorite underappreciated novel?

I don't know just how underappreciated it is, but I rarely hear people talking about it, so I'm going to go with, 'Darkness, I' by Tanith Lee.

4. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Although the folklore has been proven untrue, I'm going to go with magpie all the same. When I write I go from one 'shiny' scene to another, flying all over the scope of the book, until I have collected all the pieces.

5. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Four half finished novels float somewhere about in my study - including the sixth novel in the White Dragon Black world. There are six finished novels, not in the WDB world (although two of them...well, unpublished is just where they belong) and novels 3, 4 & 5 in the WDB world wait paitently to be released.

6. What's the best way to market your books?

In person, I believe is the best way. Attending and selling at conventions, local bookstores, and libraries. Word of mouth is an amazing tool and readers like to read and talk about the authors they have actually met.

7. Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

No. Well, Yes! - um... I don't get anything done, unless my Muse allows me to get it done. I don't plot, I don't write in chronological order, I do what my Muse tells me - or more accurately shows me - and then I transfer that into the best words I can think of, to relay what I've been given. Do I look at it as spiritual, no. Does it sound very spiritual when I explain it...yes.

8. How do you select the names of your characters?

I look at the character themselves - the traits I want them to have, and to portray, then I go hunting through web sites that have names and their meaning, to find the right one. It has to sound right in my ear, and mean something that reflects on the characters identity. Although, sometimes, I just grab a name randomly from the air and call them that.

9. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with good or bad ones?

Oh, absolutely! Each review reveals something about what that reader got out of the book. It is an insight into the readers perception of my writing, and that is an important tool for writing. Good reviews reassure that you're doing something right. Bad reviews, tell you where you may have gone wrong. I try to take neither personally, because the review isn't about me, it is about how I constructed a story and how I told it. No one is going to love, or hate, all writing but their reviews of my writing can reveal important information I can bring to the next book.

10. What was your hardest scene to write?

The hardest scene in this novel was when my protagonist, Jonathan Alvey, was examining a grimoire in great detail. I had to convey the drudgery of the task, without actually dragging my readers into that tediousness. There was a fine line to be walked and I hope that my readers find I managed it. There is no worse crime than boring your reader.

11. What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

Well, this certainly isn't a 'puff piece' interview is it? Wow, okay. Giving up coffee would be a herculean task - but I don't see it making me a better writer. To be a better writer, I'd sacrifice technology. I'd live without computers, and their ilk, if it made me a better writer.

12. What is your favorite childhood book?

Now this one is easy - 'The Dark is Rising' by Susan Cooper. I devoured that book, indeed the whole series, too many times to count growing up. In truth, I have a box set on the book shelf behind me that I still pull out to read.

13. Does your family support your career as a writer?

I am blessed in this. My entire family supports me and they purchase, read, and comment on the books.

My wife puts up with me babbling about plot, characters, and scene. She also endures the less fun side of the job; the frustration of edits, the stress of publication, and the time spent on publicity.

My mother-in-law has acted as beta reader for me, and my mother acted as proof reader of the final version on this one. So, I really couldn't ask for better support.

14. How long on average does it take you to write a book?

The rough draft will come together, on average, in six to eight months, then there are rounds of edits, which can take up to a year and a half, before the novel is ready to be seen by my publisher.

15. Share one little known fact about yourself.

I have what is know as central auditory processing disorder. This is the equivalent of dyslexia, only for the ears, not the eyes. It isn't about hearing, but about the brain's ability to process what the ear hears. This disorder makes it nearly impossible to learn a new spoken language, and also impacts how I understand and process english.